


A Dream Come True

by Brisinger9



Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Completely platonic because fuck you irl shippers you ruin relationships, FantasyAU, Found Family, More characters will be added as they come into the story :), brothersau
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:47:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24412303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brisinger9/pseuds/Brisinger9
Summary: Growing up in the foster system isn't fun. It leaves you with emotional scars, trust issues, and the constant reminder that no matter what, you are always alone.When Techno is sent to live with a rich family with three bratty, spoiled sons, he's unimpressed. Tommy is plain annoying, Wilbur is conceited, and Phil is... irritatingly nice. He decides immediately that he hates them all.However, things begin to change when the brothers are sent into a fantasy parallel universe where the only way to escape is by assassinating the tyrannical King.Techno begins to realise that maybe having a family isn't as bad as he originally thought.
Relationships: Dave | Technoblade & Ph1lza, Dave | Technoblade & TommyInnit, Dave | Technoblade & Wilbur Soot, Dave | Technoblade & Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit & Ph1lza, No Romantic Relationship(s)
Comments: 186
Kudos: 1215





	1. May 1st

Techno hated the Evans family with a burning passion.

They weren't the brightest bunch. To their credit, they didn't give him the urge to run away and start a new life in Mexico, but to say that they weren't the most welcoming family was a bit of an understatement. 

He was pretty sure that the father- a furious human with an unnaturally large nose and a penchant for art- despised him, and the mother was hardly any better. She spent most of her time complaining about their lack of funds but still refusing to get a job. Their children were also somewhat... interesting things, but for the most part, Techno didn't mind them. They usually avoided him and pretended that he didn't exist, and Techno was more than okay with that. 

However, he did have a hunch that they were terrified of him. He supposed the thought was supposed to sadden him, but if anything, it made him feel slightly smug.

When he first met them, he almost thought he'd found a family that wouldn't lower his already extremely low expectations, but boy did they prove him wrong.

The first sign that something was wrong was when the family's youngest, a six-year-old girl going by the name Gwen, wouldn't stop glaring at him. It was strange and almost terrifying in a way. She did a complete 180 within a day, going from a very polite and usually kind child to a little demon sent from hell to piss him off. 

And to his defence, six-year-old girls can be scary when they want to.

He had simply brushed it off, though. Techno had seen some pretty weird shit in his seven years in the foster system, so this was pretty dull in comparison.

The second sign was when he really should have figured that something was wrong. Not only did the demon seem to hate him, but the father with an unnaturally large nose suddenly seemed to hate him even more. Beforehand, he at least refrained from outright saying that he hated Techno and preferred a subtle approach. 

But then, on a Friday night as Techno tried to finish some mind-numbing French homework at his broken and barely standing desk, the man barged in without warning and started to cuss him out. He sounded seriously pissed, with a tone that would rattle even the strongest of individuals, and his arms had been flung around so much that they looked like a helicopter rotor.

He was shocked, of course, but told himself that the guy had just had a little bit too much alcohol. (He didn't smell like he had an alcoholic beverage, but Techno chose to ignore that.)

The third sign was when he realised something wasn't quite right. It was so momentous that denying it wasn't an option. It was impossible to predict. It was something that left him concerned. Seriously concerned. 

The mother got a job.

Most people would probably be grateful that the woman decided to do something rather than complain, but Techno knew better. She had stopped going to work in the first place because the funds from Techno's stay had been enough to support the family. She had said on multiple occasions that she wouldn't dream of going back to work as long as the Evans family had their extra income. And Techno had believed her. He guessed that she would rather die than part ways with the ugly lime couch she spent most of her time with. 

Again, though, he sat in his stupid little fantasy and tried to reason that he was just going mentally insane. He tried to tell himself that there were some reasonable explanations and that they weren't doing what he thought they were doing. They wouldn't be that heartless, would they? 

However, his pretend world was shattered within a matter of seconds when he heard the words he had been hoping to avoid for the past three months:

"I'm sorry, Techno, but I don't think that you can stay here anymore."

-

It was half-past nine on a Friday night, and Techno sat miserably on the steps to the Evans bungalow, praying that his caseworker Bianca would turn up soon.

The Evans family, being the absolute darlings that they were usually were, had locked him outside over an hour ago. They hadn't even bothered to say a proper goodbye, simply chucking the trash bag with all his belongings outside and refusing to let him back in. He could still hear the slurred, crackly television and their annoying laughs in the background.

Under normal circumstances, it might be something to be happy about. He wouldn't have to spend more time with the roaches he had been living with for three months, and that was a plus. Even an hour more would have been legally considered torture. 

But tonight it was freezing, and the cold had begun to attack him from the moment he stepped outside. His fingers were numb, and whenever he exhaled, he could see his own breath. Techno also, being the pure genius that he was, had put his coat in the very bottom of his bag, so he was stuck with a thin leather jacket. He couldn't be bothered to get all of his out just to stuff it all back in later; he had gone through the extra effort of folding it and everything.

His phone, a clunky, small thing that he had been gifted from his parents over eight years ago, had a terrible battery. He didn't want it to run out, so on top of everything else, he was left without entertainment. 

All he could do was stare at the surrounding, ugly park homes and observe how the few trees near him swayed in the wind. To make matters worse, they weren't even pretty trees. They were disgraceful, pinecone looking things that looked like abominations of nature.

"I hate them," Techno mumbled under his breath as he stared at the dull concrete ground. "I absolutely despise them." 

"What did they do this time?" 

Techno jumped, his head whizzing around immediately. Steadying himself on the steps, his eyes went wide, and a broad grin instantly spread over his face. "Bianca! You're here!"

Bianca, his caseworker, was a bizarre-looking woman. She was slightly above average height, had very greasy and knotted purple hair that probably hadn't been brushed or washed in days, always wore slightly 'extra' makeup, and her outfit made her look like an elderly lesbian librarian. 

She was usually a cheerful woman that had a spring in her step. Today, she looked quite downtrodden and irritated. 

She smiled at his enthusiasm. "Not particularly pleased to be here but yes, I am." 

Techno narrowed his eyes slightly as he gripped onto the birch fence and stood up. "Why?"

"Well, today was supposed to be my day off, but it seems like your foster family had other plans," she admitted, shrugging.

"Oh," Techno said softly, his cheeks going red, "my bad."

Bianca chuckled and gestured for him to follow her down the path with a quick flick of the wrist. "Hurry up. My car is this way."

Techno slung his bag over his shoulder and trampled over a piece of dead grass to catch up to her. He stumbled over his own feet once or twice but more or less succeeded in not toppling over. 

"Why did I get kicked out this time?" he inquired when he finally caught up to her.

"Deaths threats, apparently," she said nonchalantly, still fixated on getting to the car as soon as possible. Her pace was steadily getting faster and faster.

"That's a new one," he noted, chuckling nervously. "You've almost got to admire their creativity."

Bianca rolled her eyes. "I'll be able to admire it when I'm not working overtime."

"Sorry," Techno said, cheeks flushed once more. 

"It's alright. I don't blame you," Bianca said, sparing a swift glance at Techno and giving him a brief smile. "But regardless of who's to blame, the second we get to your next foster family's house, I'm bailing. I was supposed to be attending a family game night, and I've already missed too much of it."

Techno hummed in response. He was pretty sure that caseworkers weren't supposed to do that, but he couldn't care less. Right now, all he wanted to do was collapse onto a bed. The altercations between his caseworker and his new foster families usually lasted at least ten minutes. 

They continued to walk in silence for the next ten minutes or so. The route was roughly a fifteen-minute walk too from what Techno could remember, so he had to guess that they were nearing the end of their journey. With it being nearly completely dark out and with the prodigious trees on either side of the path blocking the sunlight, he was glad.   
Disturbing noises kept on proving the pair, although Techno seemed a lot more ancy and jumpy. 

Techno occasionally had to adjust his pace so as not to get left behind, and Bianca didn't acknowledge his existence. He tried his hardest to ignore the fact that he had no way to entertain himself and that he was still freezing cold, but it was only getting harder. 

The sun was almost entirely down, and the wind had started to pick up. There was hardly any light illuminating the path, but occasionally they passed an old fashioned street lamp.

"Any info on the family?" Techno asked, breaking the silence. "I know that it's just an emergency placement," he said, "but still."

"Actually," Bianca said, "It's not an emergency placement this time. If all goes well, you'll be staying with this family until you age out of the system."

Techno snorted. "So, in other words, I'm staying until I manage to piss them off?"

"I see you're as optimistic as ever," she commented sardonically, clearly unimpressed.

"Can you blame me? The longest I've ever spent in a home is two years, and even then they nearly kicked me out like three times."

Bianca glared at him. "You know, it's an amusing coincidence that every single home has found some issue with you. Almost comically strange."

Techno opened his mouth to say something but shut it. He knew his caseworker well enough to know that she wasn't really interested in keeping a conversation going at the moment. She probably wasn't actually mad at him, either. Just taking out her frustrations on him. At least, he hoped she was. 

"Oh thank goodness, we're here."

Techno raised his head straight away and gave an immediate sigh of relief. In front of him was the car he had grown so used to seeing in the past few years: Bianca's ugly, purple Nissan Micra. It wasn't new. There were a couple of dents, and the paint had begun to fade a year or two ago, but Techno still liked it. It had character. 

Bianca obviously intended to waste no time. She unlocked the car within seconds of seeing it and opened her door with such a vicious force that Techno wouldn't have been surprised if it flung off and landed three miles over. 

He watched her with wide eyes. 

Flopping down onto her seat into an anything but graceful manner, Bianca frowned at Techno, who hadn't even begun to move from his spot. 

"Chop chop!" she yelled, beeping the horn. 

Techno sprung into action, flinching at the loud noise, and opened the door. He threw the trash bag with all of his stuff in it onto the left seat and sat down on the right one himself. He fastened the seatbelt on and shifted about, trying to get comfortable. There were a few pieces of rubbish in his footwell, but he didn't bother complain. 

"You ready?" Bianca asked, hands already on the wheel in anticipation.

"Yeah," Techno said, taking one last glance at the pitiful trailer park that was now just a speck in the horizon. He turned his head to stare at Bianca through the mirror. "I'm ready."

It was time for a new beginning. 

-

When they pulled into the road, Techno thought that he was losing his mind. 

For the past few years, he had stayed in small apartments, rundown bungalows, ugly trailer homes, or the occasional furnitureless two-story building. Techno had grown used to staying on the rougher parts of towns. Always admiring the pretty houses from afar but knowing that he would never live in one. He had been content with that.

The house in front of him, however, was anything but rundown. 

Unlike the other houses on the street, this one was illuminated by a handful of lights on the walls. It was incredibly grand looking, with three stories and a large looking loft. The walls were mainly a pure and spotless pearly white, but there were a couple of grey feature walls too. The windows were all spectacularly large and clear. A grand marble path surrounded by two long pieces of astroturf led the way to the main building. 

"Are you sure this is the right house?" Techno asked doubtfully, glancing at Bianca quickly. "I think you must have gone to the wrong one."

Bianca shook her head. "Nope, this is definitely the right one, kiddo." 

"But, like... are you certain? I don't think I've ever even lived on a street with a house this large before, let alone live in it myself," Techno said. The panic in his voice was becoming more and more obvious with every word.

If he was going to stay here, then yes, that would be incredible. It would be a dream come true. But truthfully, he had a hunch that it was a mistake. Techno had never even had his own room before, let alone a goddamn mansion that looked like it belonged to millionaires. 

"I'm sure, Techno," Bianca assured him, starting to grow impatient. "Now, hurry up and go inside. I would like to play monopoly tonight, and my chances of making it are close to zero already."

Not wanting to annoy his caseworker further than he already had, Techno stared at Bianca for a few seconds and then opened his door. His body instantly trembled from the chills of the night, but he hoisted the bag over his shoulder and got out nonetheless. 

He stepped back onto the pavement and turned to stare at the mansion. Suddenly, he felt very small and insignificant. 

Nervous, Techno caught eye contact with Bianca one last time. Her eyes softened.

"Go on," she said, nodding towards the house, "I have a feeling that this place is going to be different than the rest." 

Techno hesitantly nodded back and slowly started to approach the house. 

He walked at a very leisurely pace and directed his vision totally on the door. The paranoia was bad already, and he didn't want another one of the incidents. No, he wouldn't just run off again. He wasn't a puny 14-year-old anymore.

He tightened his grip on his bag when he heard the unmistakable sound of a car speeding off. Techno turned his head just in time to see Bianca's car racing down the road. He was alone.

He then quickened his pace, not wanting to dawdle anymore. He needed to get this over and done with. 

Finally arriving on the doorstep, he noticed a welcome mat. It was fuzzy and textured, with the phrase 'WELCOME TO THE WILLIAMS HOUSE' in big, black, and bold letters. He looked up and saw a blue doorbell.

He tentatively pressed it. 

A symphony of notes resounded from inside the house right away, and Techno pressed his ear closer to the door in an attempt to listen for footsteps. He heard none. 

Oh god? What would happen if no one was in? Bianca had already left, and it was reaching 11pm, and his phone's battery was terrible, and his internet was terrible, and—

Without warning, Techno heard the sound of clinking metal. He recoiled. 

A boy answered the door. Most of his face was obscured, but Techno caught a glimpse or two. From what Techno could see, the boy had extremely messy brown hair, and he was freakishly tall. A black hat, probably a beanie, was sitting on his head. The boy was sort of pale, and his eyebrows were narrowed. 

Now or never, he thought to himself, trying to ignore his pounding heart. 

"Hey, I'm Tech—"

The door was slammed in his face before he could utter another word. 

"Ah," Techno whispered, blinking at the door inches from his face. "What a great start."


	2. May 1st

Techno blinked at the door for a couple of seconds, stunned. He couldn't quite believe what had just happened. Some of the families hadn't been angels for the first night, but they had all had the common decency to let him in the goddamn house. Even the worst family had given him a place to sleep. Even the worst family had actually recognised he was there. 

Techno gulped; his thoughts began to spiral. All of his doubts from earlier manifested a second time. Were they even expecting him? Had Bianca genuinely gotten the wrong address? Was he going to be locked out all night? 

Just the thought of having to spend the night outside sent chills running up his spine. California wasn't normally a cold place, but tonight it was severely cold. His fingertips had gone numb a while ago. While he probably wouldn't get hypothermia from sleeping outside, it would be far from pleasant. 

Deciding not to jump to conclusions, he knocked on the door once more. "Hello?" he called. 

No reply.

Techno waited for a minute or two, teeth chattering from the cold nipping at his bare arms. With every second, he became more and more irritated. 

Finally convinced that they had abandoned him, he slammed his fist onto the doorbell in a flurry of rage. A spark of pain raced around his body from the harsh impact, but he chose to ignore it. "For goodness sake," he growled loudly, pointing accusingly at the unmoving door. "You're all a bunch of moronic—"

Before Techno could finish his sentence, the metal clang of the door chain alerted him that someone was there. He composed himself immediately, running a quick hand through his hair and amending his poor posture. 

The door slid open languidly. Techno could see the hesitant fingertips of the person slowly wrap around the door and begin to open it. 

A tuft of hair popped out first, and then a face appeared. It wasn't the same boy from before. 

The boy answering the door this time looked utterly different. He was blond, for a start, and all of his features were much less defined. He had a childish looking face. However, he was still tall, although not taller than Techno and definitely a couple of inches from the first boy. He looked sleepy, and there was a drowsy scowl plastered onto his face. 

"Who are you, and why are you here?" the young boy asked, squinting as if examining a suspicious suspect. 

Techno widened his eyes in disbelief. "You don't know either?"

"Know what?"

Techno narrowed his eyes. "Look, dude. Can you please just get your parents? It's obvious that you haven't been told about anything." 

The boy scanned him over again, but he relented, obviously too sleepy to fully comprehend what was happening. 

"Alright," he eventually said, pausing momentarily to stare at Techno and then slamming the door shut.

Techno breathed a sigh of relief. He unclenched his fists and leant back against the wall. He slowly slid down it, his legs incredibly achy. He wanted a bed to sleep in so badly. 

Roughly a minute passed, and Techno waited with bated breath the entire time. It wasn't a long time, but it seemed like a dozen millenniums. 

Unlike the last two times, when the door opened this time, it swung open with inconceivable force.

Techno jumped like a frightened and discombobulated cat, throwing himself away from the door and landing on his bag that had been flung from his arms. He winced, snatching his bag and placing it gently in his lap. 

Emerging from the door was a panicked looking woman. Her expression was apologetic and one of terror, and her features were a bizarre mixture of the two boys from before. She had brown, shoulder-length hair, and a sweet looking face. 

Oh, Techno realised. This was their Mother. 

Her eyes locked onto Techno's form and she sprang into action, reaching out to him and offering him a hand to help him stand up. He took it and hoisted his bag over his shoulder.

"My goodness! How long have you been out here? Please, come inside! Come inside! I am so sorry, love! You must be so cold," she said, wrapping her arm around Techno and ushering him inside. She sounded incredibly guilty, and Techno couldn't help but feel bad. 

He stumbled forwards, barely supporting his own weight. The woman was making this a lot harder as she dragged him to the doorway.

The second the warm air hit his body, he relaxed. His tense shoulders fell, and a somnolent feeling washed over his body. He thanked the gods for central heating. 

"I'm so unbelievably sorry," the woman apologised again. "My sons aren't the smartest, but this is a whole new low for them." 

She disappeared out of his field of vision for a couple of seconds, and then returned with a cherry blossom pink blanket. She pulled the blanket over his shoulders, and he tugged it closer to himself, relishing in the soft, fluffy texture. 

"It's okay," he insisted as she dragged him further into the house.

"No, darling. It's not," she said, giving a warm smile. "Would you like a nice hot chocolate to warm you up?"

Techno blinked at her for a moment, face blank. All of this unexplainable kindness was overwhelming, and he wasn't sure how to feel about it. 

"Erm... yeah. Yeah, that would be nice. Thanks." 

"No problem. If you would prefer, you can rest on the couch in the living room. It's the first door on the left."

The woman raced down the hallway before Techno could question her further. Her movements were hurried; she looked like she was frantically running from a marathon runner. She was going so fast that when she disappeared around the corner, she nearly face-planted onto the floor. Sparing him one last glance, she gave a thumbs up. 

When he realised that she probably wouldn't be coming back for a while, Techno started to look at his new home for the first time. 

The entrance looked like a movie scene. The floor was a spotless marble, and the patterns in the walls detailed intricately. Multiple chandeliers hung from the ceiling, all surrounding one centre chandelier that was much larger than the rest. Many ridiculously tall doorways were lined along the hall. The ceiling was so tall that three Techno's stacked on top of each other probably wouldn't be able to reach it.

"Wow," he exclaimed, staring in awe.

Now that he knew he was actually meant to stay here, Techno couldn't help but feel an immense sensation of happiness. The house was stunning. 

"You done admiring, or are you gonna come and sit down?" 

Techno whipped his head around to see the freakishly tall boy from earlier leaning against a doorway. He looked almost exactly the same, except his expression was vastly different. An amused grin was tugging at his lips, but Techno could tell from his flushed cheeks that he was embarrassed. Probably from the encounter from earlier, Techno concluded. 

"I'm Wilbur," the boy said. 

Ah, Techno thought, a name to the infamously annoying face. 

A thought crossed his head, and he sniggered. "Wilbur short for William? So, your name is William Williams? And I thought my parents despised me."

Wilbur's cheeks went redder and his amused face turned to one with a slight angry glower, but he gave a soft laugh nonetheless. "I'm not too pleased about it either." 

"I'm not surprised."

"Do you have a name?" Wilbur asked abruptly. 

The question caught Techno off guard. 

"Techno," he said. "Techno Blade."

"Sounds like a shitty anime protagonist."

"That's because I am one."

Wilbur raised an eyebrow but didn't pry further. He simply shrugged, presumably accepting it as fact, and turned his back on Techno, nonchalantly strolling into the other room. 

Intrigued, Techno followed suit. 

The room that he waltzed into was much less overly fancy, and much more compact, but Techno didn't like it any less. It was long but wasn't wide, and there were three sitting areas. The one in the middle, however, was much larger and was accompanied by a rustic looking fireplace. The couches were beige, but a couple odd pieces of furniture were a dark navy. The walls were more or less the same, and so were the ugly looking curtains.

"You need to stop staring," Wilbur's voice curtly said as he flopped onto the couch opposite the fireplace. The cushions were send flying into the air from his rapid actions, but he caught them. He waved at Techno and gestured for him to come closer. 

Still wrapped up in his pink blanket, Techno sat down on the couch nearest to the fireplace. He placed his bag next to him and slowly shuffled towards the edge of his seat, savouring the comfortable warmth from the fire.

"Mum will be here in a minute," Wilbur said. "She'll probably bring Tommy, too." 

"Tommy?" Techno inquired. 

"Oh, yeah. He's my little brother. The annoying blond one," Wilbur explained. "He's the one that didn't slam a door in your face." 

"Ah, alright." 

The next couple of minutes were probably awkward from Wilbur's perspective, but Techno couldn't care less. It was pure silence. The only audible noises were the relaxing crackles from the fire. Techno, personally, loved it. The fireplace was his saviour, and the quietness in the room made him feel relatively sleepy. 

However, his brief moment of peace was disrupted when Tommy barged his way into the room and barrelled onto the couch. Following him was his Mother, who was carefully holding a hot chocolate in her left hand. 

She carefully placed the hot beverage on the table next to Techno, and he thanked her.

"My name is Meryl," their Mother said as she sat down next to him. "I probably should have told you that much earlier."

Techno nodded in her direction, taking a brief sip from the hot chocolate. He winced at the heat and placed it straight back down. "Techno."

Meryl laughed softly. "I'm well aware. We aren't told nearly enough, but usually foster families get at least name."

"Wish I could say the same applies to me." 

"What do you mean?" Tommy inquired as he munched on a snack on the opposing couch. His head was tilted to the side inquisitively. 

"We're not told anything about the families we're staying with, usually. It's actually rather annoying."

"Oh," Tommy said, face going red, "my bad."

Techno suddenly found himself quite uncomfortable. Meryl looked like she was turning to the deepest corners of her mind to find the right words to say, Tommy seemed rather embarrassed, and Wilbur didn't look like he had a care in the world as he scrolled through his phone. 

"So," Techno said in an attempt to lighten the mood, "I presume that I'm not at the wrong house after all, then?" 

Meryl chuckled. "No. Although, I suppose you wish you were right about now." 

Techno winced. Her words weren't completely devoid of truth. "It's only the first night," he said, "it's alright to mess up a bit." 

Meryl nodded, but didn't look totally convinced. She took a look at her eldest and an idea popped into her head. 

"This here is Wilbur," she said, pointing to the eldest of the two boys, "but I assume he's already told you that."

Techno forced a faint smile. "Yes. We've already acquainted ourselves with each other."

"Wonderful," Meryl said. She glared at her eldest and crossed her arms. "Anything you would like to say, Wilbur?" 

Wilbur nearly jumped out of his skin when his Mother placed a hand upon his shoulder. He dropped his phone onto the floor and yelped. 

"What, Mum?" he asked as he picked his iphone up. 

"Would you like to say anything?" she prompted encouragingly, looking to Techno and then back to Wilbur. 

"Oh..." Wilbur started, taken aback. He caught eye contact with Techno. "Sorry for leaving you outside in the freezing cold and slamming the door in your face, matey." 

Techno nearly snorted but restrained himself. Wilbur didn't sound very sorry at all.

"Tommy, would you like to say anything?"

Unlike Wilbur, Tommy didn't seem phased by his Mother's tone. 

"Sorry if I was a bit rude earlier, I didn't know who you were and thought you might be a criminal! Because you know, criminals aren't very pog people! They aren't all bad though, I guess! Some are probably nice! But some aren't! But now I do know you, it's okay! I'm sure we'll become fast friends. Well, I hope so at least! I'm Tommy, and I'm so excited—" 

Their Mother put a finger to Tommy's lips before he could embarrass himself further. She turned to Techno and smiled. "This is Tommy."

Techno laughed.

"My eldest Phil is currently at a college party, so I'm afraid you'll have to meet him in the morning. He," she said, sending another quick glare at her two youngest sons, "should hopefully give you a much more pleasant welcome."

Techno nodded. To be honest, seeing how... interesting... the other two brothers were, he wasn't sure that he was keen to meet the third. From what he'd seen, most parents either had all bratty children or all nice children. And Tommy and Wilbur didn't exactly seem like star pupil material. 

"I'm jubilant at the prospect of meeting him," Techno said, trying to mask the blatant sarcasm he was dying to use.

He didn't sound thrilled whatsoever, and judging by the Mother's expression, she definitely understood that. Techno almost winced at the way her smile faltered for a moment. 

She quickly regained her composure though and went back to smiling like a lunatic. "I'm glad. Now, I suppose you're exhausted. How about you get some sleep right now, and we can talk again in the morning?"

Techno almost dozed off right on the spot from those gorgeous words. His eyes completely lit up, and he went from a hunched form to standing up straight. 

"Yes!" he exclaimed immediately, probably a little bit too loudly. His face fell. "I- I mean yes, that sounds like a plan." 

"Sure does," she said, "how about Wilbur and Tommy take you to your room? They can officially apologise then." 

"Wait, what?" 

-

"Here's your room!" Tommy declared loudly, arms flailing around and pointing at the furniture with childish enthusiasm. 

"Yeah," Wilbur said, smirking at his younger brother's exaggerated movements, "here's your room."

The room was unfathomably large. There was a luxurious looking king-sized bed, two gargantuan windows that looked onto the road, a sizeable desk that was definitely large enough for him to play Minecraft comfortably, and a whole en-suite entirely to himself.

It was heaven. 

"Bruh," Techno said, wide-eyed. "It's so ginormous." 

"Glad you like it," Wilbur mumbled, looking disinterested. 

Techno looked at Wilbur once, and then stepped closer to his bed. He let his fingertips flutter along the duvet and gasped at the splendid texture. "It's so soft."

"Indeed," Wilbur added.

"You know that you can just leave, right? I'm not going to snitch on you," Techno said. 

Wilbur seemed reasonably surprised and his eyes widened, but he turned around and walked out nevertheless. 

Tommy watched his brother leave, but didn't seem to want to follow suit. 

"So," he added unhelpfully, walking closer poking Techno in the side. "Do you like it?" 

Techno glared glarefully in a glareful manner at Tommy and stepped further away. 

"It's nice, yeah," Techno said, voice slightly condescending. 

Tommy scowled at the tone. "Yeah." 

"Yeah..."

"Definitely." 

"Yep, indubitably."

"I don't know what that means, but yeah."

Techno huffed. "Tommy, do you wanna maybe leave? I presume that you have your own ridiculously huge bedroom that you can stand and do nothing in."

Tommy scoffed and clenched his fists. He looked more hurt than annoyed, but Techno chose to ignore that and pressed on. 

"I just got here today, and I would like to be alone. No offence, but your company isn't wanted."

"Fine, I get it. I'll leave," the younger boy resigned. "But I'm hanging out with you all day tomorrow, and there's nothing you can do to stop me." 

Techno sighed but tentatively nodded his head. He would deal with Tommy in the morning- right now, he just wanted to sit back and comprehend his eventful and stressful day in peace. 

Tommy didn't seem to care whether or not the acceptance was genuine. He took it regardless, clinging onto any last morsel of hope and punching his fist into the air in apparent triumph. 

"Pog!" he exclaimed, finally moving to exit the room. There was a broad grin on his face as he walked out. 

Techno watched him leave and released a breath of relief. "Goodbye and good riddance."

Finally alone and without the burden of two annoying teenagers, Techno wandered over to the door and shut it quietly. He turned the lamp on and then turned off the light that did most of the work illuminating his room. 

He sauntered to his bed where his trash bag lay and opened it. 

Realising that he really couldn't be bothered to unpack tonight, Techno rummaged through the bag and dug out both his laptop and his laptop charger. He chucked them onto his desk and then stuffed his trash bag into the bottom drawer of his dresser. 

Plugging his laptop in immediately, Techno turned it on and began to load Minecraft. He selected multiplayer and then clicked onto Hypixel.

He stared at the Hypixel lobby and took a deep sigh. 

Sure, a lot of things in his life changed regularly, and he lacked stability in many areas of his life, but Hypixel never let him down. 

The server was addicting, and he had a feeling that he wouldn't be getting much sleep tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I s p e n t t e n h o u r s o n t h i s   
> I h a v e n o l i f e
> 
> Sorry for not including Phil in this chapter. I didn't want to overwhelm readers, so I decided to split the introductions into two characters. Establishing dynamics is already hard enough with three characters and I don't even think I nailed them.
> 
> I also do not like this chapter. The writing is so sloppy and the vocabulary is just icky. But I'm still proud of myself for writing roughly 5k words in a week.
> 
> 2,969


	3. May 2nd

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Techno's first day at the Williams household doesn't go down exactly as he had expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some little info I realised I forgot to give before you start to read! :]
> 
> Phil - 21   
> Wilbur - 17  
> Techno - 16  
> Tommy - 14 (Idiot youngling) 
> 
> Phil - Third year of Uni (why tf do American universities have FOUR YEARS?)  
> Wilbur - Junior  
> Techno - Sophomore  
> Tommy - 8th Grade (Idiot youngling)  
> I have decided that the California school year ends on May 6th. Not accurate. I just decided it. If you disagree, you can fall in a ditch☺️

"You know, that's a pretty impressive winstreak."

The words shook Techno awake. His eyes jolted open at the sudden noise, and he yelped in surprise. His desk chair toppled over immediately, and he landed on the floor in a tangled pile of limbs. 

Annoyed, he turned to look at the culprit with a decisively judgemental expression. He untangled himself, observed the man, and sat upright. 

The man in front of him was very obviously attempting to stifle a laugh. His face was red, and by the looks of it, he was probably biting the inside of his cheek to keep himself from chortling. 

A green hoodie with a college crest was around his torso, and a pair of black trousers were on his legs. There was a green and white striped hat upon his head that looked like an anachronism. The desk in front of him was obscuring the green guy slightly.

Wait, why had he been at his desk? 

Memories of the night before came flooding back into his mind, and he sighed. He had been playing goddamn bedwars until 3am with his friends, and had probably drifted off to sleep at his desk in the process. 

For the first time in forever, he had a bed that looked like it was made for bloody royalty, and he had fallen asleep on his desk. Jesus, he really did have issues, didn't he?

"Don't do that again, dude," Techno grumbled at him, rubbing his head and scowling miserably. It was throbbing slightly already, and he winced at the pulsing pain.

"Sorry," the guy replied, wheezing. "It was kind of funny, though."

Techno pushed himself up off the musty floor and dusted off his knees. "That's debatable."

The other guy simply laughed again. Techno, although not amused at the clear lack of empathy, found the sound to be quite infectious. He furiously fought back a smile. 

"I'm Phil, by the way," green guy said. "It's nice to meet you."

Techno paused for a moment, recognising the name slightly. The recognition was faint and hardly there, but he knew for a fact that the name held significance. He brushed it off after a second or two, promising himself that he would remember later.

"I'm Techno," Techno added, realising that he was probably being quite rude by not replying.

"So I've heard," Phil said. "Rather unique name."

Techno shrugged. The name might be anomalous to some people, but it sounded perfectly normal to him. "I suppose. I mean, I've heard much weirder."

"Fair. Although, I can't say that you'll find anything close to it near here. My brothers and I have very dull names."

Techno's eyes lit up from realisation. 

"You're the oldest then, huh?" he asked. 

He cringed at the tone of his voice right away. It was much more captious and hypercritical than he had intended. He sounded dead inside.

Phil winced. "Judging by that tone, I'm guessing that the first introductions with my brothers didn't go too well."

"Eh, wasn't that bad. I'm almost certain that they hate me, but that's to be expected."

"Not too sure if you're right about that, actually."

Techno tilted his head inquisitively. "What do you mean?"

"Wilbur might not have warmed up to you yet," Phil said, "but Tommy definitely has. He hasn't stopped talking about how he's going to be best friends with you."

Techno laughed. "He's a bit odd."

"Yeah..." Phil agreed, drawling out the sound. "He has good intentions though. You'll get used to him sooner or later."

"If you say so."

When a few seconds passed without any conversation, Phil took the initiative to explain why he was there. "Anyway, the reason I was sent up here was to tell you to come downstairs for breakfast. Mum's made some pancakes and she's quite eager for your approval."

Techno nodded, his stomach rumbling in consensus. To be honest, pancakes sounded delicious at that moment. He hadn't had dinner last night, and his last foster family had cooked like Gordon Ramsay would on drugs. 

"Sounds good to me," he said. "I'll be down once I'm dressed."

Phil nodded back at him, still smiling. "Yeah, okay."

Phil took his time as he shuffled towards Techno's door, never breaking eye contact and looking like he was aching to say something else.

Uncomfortable with the attention, Techno prompted Phil to say something with an animated hand gesture.

Thankfully, green man recognised that. "I'm well aware that we don't know each other all too well, but I'm happy to have you here. If you ever need anything, feel free to ask. I'm often busy but I'll make time."

Techno, stunned and not knowing what to say, stared at Phil for a moment. Phil was strangely nice, and Techno wasn't sure whether or not he appreciated that. Part of him wanted an excuse to hate the green dude.

"Thanks," he finally replied. 

"No problem."

-

Techno stood paused at the kitchen door, beginning to succumb to his nerves. The family had been welcoming so far, but he couldn't help but feel an intense panic closing in as he watched them go about their days. 

The Williams family were all sitting around the marble kitchen island, having what looked to be a delicious breakfast and chatting contentedly amongst themselves. 

Their Mother, Meryl, was sitting and listening to Tommy. Her head was resting comfortably in her arms, and she had an occasional sip of her scolding coffee. She wasn't speaking much, and had obviously finished her food a while ago. 

Wilbur and Phil were also having a conversation. Wilbur was sat at the edge of the island, jovially discussing a topic that he looked like he was passionate about whilst occasionally taking a bite of his food. Phil had clearly finished breakfast a while ago, and was rigorously washing his plate in the sink, glancing back at Wilbur ever so often and chiming a few words in. Most of the time, he was just laughing. 

Tommy was talking to his Mother in a loud enough tone that Techno could hear every word. His conversation featured a rollercoaster of contrasting, strong emotions. One moment he sounded like he had just won the lottery, and in the next he sounded like he'd been attacked and held at gunpoint. He still miraculously sounded five throughout.

They looked like your average, happy family, and Techno didn't want to ruin that by barging in and disturbing them. 

However, unlucky for him, he didn't have much of a choice in the matter. Whilst he was fretting about whether or not to join them and stuck lost in his thoughts, the youngest member of the Williams family had caught onto where he was.

Tommy was staring at him, a wide grin across his face. He started to move his hand as if he was going to wave, and Techno started to panic. Techno shook his head many times over, his face full of vexation and resentment, but the boy didn't seem to get the hint. 

"Techno!" Tommy yelled, obviously not recognising Techno's plead for him to stay quiet. "Hello!" 

Meryl swivelled around in her chair instantaneously, Wilbur looked up from his plate, and Phil turned around with a broad grin. They all, even Wilbur to some extent, looked happy to see him.

"Er— hello," Techno said sheepishly, emerging from the shadows and standing in the doorway. He dug his fingers onto the door hinges anxiously.

"Want some breakfast?" Tommy asked straight away, pointing at the mountain of food still left over. "Mum made a bit too much."

Techno's mouth watered just looking at the exquisite feast. There were plenty of pancakes covered in maple syrup, dozens of freshly picked strawberries dipped in a hot, sticky chocolate, waffles, scones with an abundance of jam and cream, and plenty more. It looked like it would feed the family for a month. 

"Yeah, I'll have some," Techno decided, his worries fading away as he caught a whiff of the sumptuous repast. It was good enough to persuade even the most stubborn of humanity. 

He pulled the seat at the end of the island, the one next to a very keen and avid Tommy, out. Tommy seemed honoured that Techno had chosen to sit next to him despite the fact that there were no other seats available. Techno tried his best to ignore him and fixate on the good food he was getting. 

Sure, as Phil had said earlier, Tommy had good intentions. However, that definitely didn't stop him annoying the hell out of Techno. 

Phil placed a plate, a knife, and a fork down in front of him. "Take as much as you want; it's practically a buffet at this point."

The words were music to his ears. "Great. Thanks." 

Techno then reached out to the mountain of delicious foods and started to place a couple of things on his plate. He picked two of the fluffy pancakes, one chocolate-dipped strawberry and a single scone. He had never had a scone before, but he was more than happy to try one. Usually living with low-income families, sampling new foods was a foreign and extremely unusual occurrence. 

"Good choice," Phil said, still beside him and now leaning on the marble countertop. He gestured to the scone. "They're the one thing that makes me miss England."

"England?"

Wilbur laughed from the other side of the island, speaking up for the first time. "Weren't the accents a dead giveaway?" 

"I don't really pay attention to accents if I'm being honest. I have plenty of friends from all around the world, so at one point they sort of just meshed into one in my mind."

"Well, we moved here three years ago," Meryl chimed in. "My husband got a job offer that we couldn't refuse, and we took a leap of faith. It was hard initially, but we soon settled in. Some took it much harder than others. Wilbur especially." She turned to look at the son she had just mentioned, offering a light chuckle at his now red cheeks. "He left a rather large group of friends behind. What did you call yourselves again, Wilbur?"

Techno's interest was piqued momentarily. He had never even left his state before, so the prospect of travelling to another country was bizarre and peculiar to him. Also, Wilbur was the last person he would have pinpointed as shy. From what he had seen so far - which, to be fair, wasn't a whole lot - he was a generally outgoing person.

Phil laughed, bringing his attention back to the conversation at hand. "Ashy buildings, wasn't it?"

Techno took a bite of his strawberry and observed the conversation. 

"Nah, I'm pretty sure it was dirty chimneys," Tommy said, glancing in between his brothers with an amused look. "Or smelly hotels."

"Oh, come on," Phil countered playfully. "You didn't even try on that last one."

"It was Soot House, actually," Wilbur mumbled, his words soft and barely coherent. Judging by the look on his face, he wasn't precisely embarrassed but definitely wasn't pleased that his Mother had brought it up.

"Ah! That's right, yes. They were a lovely group of kids, but Wilbur found new friends quickly."

Wilbur nodded, brightening up. "Yeah, fortunately."

"Indubitably," Tommy said, mimicking his older brother's movements. He winked at Techno out of the corner of his eye, hoping that he had noticed his choice of words. Techno rolled his eyes, unimpressed. Tommy scowled. "I like your friends, Wilbur. I just wish that they would let me hang out with them more."

Wilbur pointed at Tommy threateningly with his fork. "This again? Enlighten me: why would anyone in their right mind want to be around a little gremlin like you? If you weren't my brother, I would have punched you in the face and sent you flying into Mexico years ago."

Meryl took her spoon and whacked Wilbur on the head with it aggressively, a harsh and disapproving look present on her face. "Apologise to your brother."

Wilbur turned to give Tommy an exaggerated look, his face not apologetic in the slightest. "My sincerest of apologies, Tommy."

Techno heard a slight chortle from behind him, and looked over his shoulder to see Phil desperately trying to stop himself from laughing. 

Tommy huffed, not content with the very genuine apology, but the Mother seemed happy enough with it. 

"Speaking of friends, didn't you say that you were doing something later, Wilbur?" Meryl inquired. 

"Yeah," Wilbur said, taking a scone and placing it on his plate. "The town event that they've been planning for weeks. Tons of my friends are going because one of their girlfriends helped plan it. Should be pretty fun."

Meryl smiled nefariously. "How about you take Techno? He's only a year younger than you, and it would be nice for him to meet some friends to hang out with over the summer holidays." 

Techno widened his eyes. He hadn't even been planning to leave the house today, and the thought of spending time in a bustling town centre with hundreds of people he didn't know sent chills running up his spine. 

Surprisingly, Wilbur didn't seem incredibly bothered by the idea. There was still a frown on his face, and he looked like he wanted to refuse, but he didn't look like he wanted to gouge his eyes out. "Alright," he agreed, tone reluctant. 

"Can I come too?" Tommy chimed in, stomping his feet on the floor repeatedly. 

Techno suddenly had the urge to throw himself off of a building. The day was already going to be torturous enough.  
"Of course, love! I'm sure Wilbur would be more than happy to take you too!" Meryl answered, jolly and careless. 

Wilbur slammed his head on the table, mumbling a sequence of indecipherable but probably rude things under his breath. 

"What?" Techno joked, sounding dead inside. "Next thing you know, you'll say that Phil is coming along too."

Wilbur raised his head to give Techno a bewildered glare and stuffed a pancake in his mouth. 

"Actually," she said, putting down her cutlery and turning to look at her families thrilled expressions, "that's not a bad idea! It can be some quality sibling bonding time! It will give you all a chance to get to know each other properly!" 

Wilbur choked on his pancake, face going pale. He turned to give his Mother a pleading look. "Mum, really? I understand you wanting me to take Techno, but why all four of us? Isn't that a tad extra?" 

"As I've said, it's family bonding time, Wil. Be grateful that I'm not making it a family outing and going myself as well with your father."

Wilbur offered a deadpan expression, not relieved by the sentiment at all. He pushed his plate closer to himself, stabbing his pancakes aggressively with his fork. Shoving it in his mouth, he gave a vicious glare to his Mother.

She didn't seem to care. 

Techno studied his new foster brother closely, an eyebrow raised in confusion. He shared a glance with Phil and Tommy, who both seemed nonchalant about the whole situation. 

"So," Techno said, not wanting to witness Wilbur's weirdness anymore. "I'm not entirely sure that all four of us going is necessary. I mean, Phil is in college, isn't he? Not sure he'd want to hang out with a bunch of teenagers."

Wilbur nodded his head repeatedly in affirmation, pointing at Techno to further signal his agreement. He tried to say something, but his Mother slapped him on the wrist and pointed to his mouth that was still full of food. He rolled his eyes but stopped regardless.

Phil shook his head. "Nah, I'm down. I think it'll be fun. Besides, my girlfriend will probably be there if I get too bored."

"Same with me," Tommy said enthusiastically, having just finished the last bite of his meal. He stood from his seat, eager to leave already. "I intend to hang out with Techno the whole day, but worst comes to worst Deo, Bitzel and Wisp will be there to keep me company." 

Wilbur slammed his head onto the table again. 

"Then it's settled," Meryl decided, a wide grin across her face. "Pack your bags, kids. You're all going to have a superb day."

Tommy gave a hearty cheer, and Techno couldn't help but feel that Wilbur had the right idea by trying to dismiss the conversation and pretend it wasn't happening. 

Techno also couldn't help but feel like this was going to be one of the worst days of his life.

-

Phil's car was much nicer than Techno had anticipated. The seats all had heaters, were absurdly comfortable to the point where Techno wouldn't be opposed to sleeping on them, and the car had a modern built in radio linked to Phil's iPhone. Techno wasn't sure he had ever been in a car this expensive before, and the fact that it belonged to a college student of all people confused him beyond belief. The college students he had met previously were all frugal people that barely had enough money for food, let alone a car that looked like it could belong to a millionaire. Phil definitely did not fit the stereotype in his mind. 

He had known prior to this that the Williams family were well off, but he was starting to think that they were more wealthy than he had imagined. Everything about the brothers suggested spoiled brats that had been given everything that had ever wanted, and he couldn't help but feel envy. All three of them were already set for life. He didn't doubt that they had no worries about the future. He didn't doubt that they would never need to worry for finances in their lives. 

They had been driving for roughly twenty minutes or so, and according to the sat-nav, they only had another seven minutes left. Techno, despite being comfortable and loving the car, was unbelievably thankful for that. 

Phil had obviously taken the driver's seat, and Wilbur was sat next to him in the front. Wilbur had his earphones in and was humming to a sweet melody. He looked distracted and was staring absentmindedly at the horizon as he bobbed his head along to his tune. 

And Techno, being the lucky person that he was, was stuck in the back with Tommy beside him. 

He was trying his hardest to brave through the traumatic experience and ignore the unintentionally snide comments Tommy was throwing his way, but it was only getting harder and harder. Tommy's voice sounded like nails on a chalkboard to Techno's ears, and he had absolutely nothing to drown the horrible sound out. The kid seemed to have a constant, insatiable desire to speak. 

Right now, Techno just wanted to relax and look out his window. The thought of the day ahead of him already stressed him out and watching the scenery roll by was soothed him. The trees and ugly looking houses were a good enough distraction. In the very least, it stopped him from giving an outrageous reacting to Tommy's provoking comments and getting himself kicked out on the first day. 

Tommy, however, didn't seem to want to ease in his pestering. "Why is your name Techno Blade?" 

"What?" Techno asked, turning his head and narrowing his eyes at Tommy's out of the blue question. 

Crossing his arms, Tommy rolled his eyes. "I asked why your name was Techno Blade, idiot. You can't deny that it's strange."

"Personally, I don't think it's strange at all."

"You sound like an anime protagonist, Techno."

"You know, your brother said that too. Still doesn't make it any more correct." 

"Oh, come on, just answer the question!" 

Techno hesitated before answering. The inquiry wasn't too personal, was nothing but an innocent yet futile attempt to get to know him, and he didn't really care about giving away information about himself. He would probably only be staying here for a month or two regardless. Still, Tommy probably wouldn't get the answer he wanted. 

"Well," he started to say, deciding to disclose the information. "My parents were hippies and addicted to drugs, so they didn't really give a shit about what other people said. They changed their surnames when they got married, and named me after a random cosplayer they once met at a convention. Never got the chance to meet him, but apparently he was a cool guy."

Tommy initially recoiled in shock at the words, but gave a quiet chuckle after a few seconds. He then burst into laughter, face lighting up. "Pretty poggers joke, dude. Ten out of ten on funny factor."

Techno observed Tommy closely. Maybe, he thought, if he didn't foster a conversation between the two of them, the youngest Williams member would get bored and leave him alone. 

"Not a joke," he said with the most monotone voice he could muster, eyes showing no emotion. "I am being completely serious. Nothing about my statement was meant to show humour or sarcasm."

Much to Techno's horror, that only made Tommy laugh more. He probably would have been sprawled across the seats if it wasn't for his seatbelt. He seemed like he found the whole ordeal hilarious. 

"A bit weirdchamp, but okay." 

Giving Tommy a harsh and dirty look, Techno went back to watching the scenery pass by, an angry glower on his face. 

-

The car pulled to a very abrupt stop. Techno was sent flying a couple of inches forwards, and probably would have flopped onto the floor if it wasn't for his trusty seatbelt that saved him in the nick of time. 

"We're here!" Phil announced, taking his hands off the steering wheel and opening his door. 

Wilbur pulled off his earphones and scrambled out his door, not wasting any time whatsoever. Tommy did the same, falling onto the floor clumsily but quickly picking himself back up again.

Techno mumbled a sarcastic comment under his breath, glaring daggers at the two brothers. He unfastened his seatbelt and opened his door, pleasantly surprised at the warm air that hit him when he stepped outside. 

Slamming his door shut, Techno took a good look at the town centre. 

It was much prettier than the image he had visualised in his head. Lanterns strung on wires bordered the car park, and florescent decorations were hung up on every wall. The people of the town were all dancing and listening to music in the centre of everything, surrounded by even more bright decorations, stalls, shops, and activities for everyone to do. Everything around him was bursting with colour. 

It made Techno feel sick. The positivity, the joy in the voices of the townsfolk... it was vile. 

"You all got everything?" Phil asked them, putting his keys back into his pocket. 

Tommy and Techno both nodded, Techno leaning against the car and Tommy running in circles around the car park.

"Yeah, me too," Wilbur said, disinterested in the conversation. He glanced behind him and indicated to a group of people behind him. "I'm going to go hang out with my friends now, okay? I see them over there."

Before any of them could answer him or even begin to comprehend what he had said, Wilbur was racing away. He didn't hesitate in leaving, not even bothering to look behind him. 

Phil laughed at his younger brother, shaking his head fondly. "I'm going to pay for parking."

"Hey, Schlatt! Carson!" Wilbur called, voice slowly fading into background fuzz as he ran away from the car, presumably towards his friends. He nearly stumbled and fell onto the floor, but caught himself just in time. 

Techno watched as Wilbur stopped next to a group of boys, all of which looked about his age. They greeted him warmly, pulling him into hugs and patting him on the back.

Both Tommy and Techno watched them for a couple of minutes. 

The one that Wilbur stood next to looked overly dramatic and out of place, with a suit that looked like it belonged to a billionaire, and hair that had been combed furiously. He looked like an idiot. 

"That's Schlatt," Tommy explained, noticing Techno's fixation on the suit dude. "He's really cool."

"Is he the one that hates you?" Techno asked curiously, remembering what Wilbur had said from earlier in the day.

"Oh, no," Tommy replied, smiling through the pain. "They all hate me, but he probably hates me the most. I have no idea why."

Phil wandered over, having just finished paying for parking. He placed the receipt in the car window. 

"Maybe it's because you keep on following him everywhere and won't stop staring at him," Phil suggested, smirking at his younger brother and attempting to ruffle his hair.

Tommy swatted Phil's hand away. "Go away, jerk."

"Actually, about that--" 

"What do you mean?" Techno interrupted, voice dangerously low. 

Phil gestured towards his phone, an apologetic look on his face. "My girlfriend messaged me saying that she wants to hang out, so I'm going to have to bail."

"You're leaving me with him?" Techno said, outraged. "Of all people... him?" 

Tommy didn't seem to catch onto the insult, still gazing at Wilbur's friends with a look of pure admiration. Techno sneered at him.

Phil laughed at Techno's bewildered expression. "Sorry mate."

Techno huffed, not wanting to look at Phil anymore. He wanted to despise Phil badly, but the man was making it hard for him. He was nice to a point where it was becoming irritating.

"Aren't they cool?" Tommy whispered to Techno in awe, eyes never leaving the group of teenagers. 

Techno gave Tommy a judgy glare, not understanding his admiration at all. "They look like chads, Tommy."

"Well, I think you look like a chad."

"I'm flattered."

"Well," Tommy said, staring up at Techno. "Would you like to go and find my friends?" 

Techno sighed. Truth be told, he could not imagine Tommy's friends being more annoying than Tommy himself. The boy was the most annoying human that he had ever met. He had to hope that for some bizarre and outlandish reason, a semi-decent human had taken pity and chosen the boy as a friend. It was unlikely, but it was the only thing that could possibly save his day.

"Alright. Let's go have fun."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologise if you don't actually have any town events (I don't know what to bloody call it idk) in California. The story is set in California for plot reasons (mainly because Techno had to make my life difficult and be born in America) but if I could, I would have set it in London. We may speak the same language, but America is so goddamn foreign to me. I mean, I relate to the sheep shaggers more, for goodness sake! 
> 
> Also, as you may have guessed already, the side characters in the story will be a mixture of ocs and creators. There will be references to people all across the Minecraft community, from Skeppy's friends to everyone from SMPLive. 
> 
> As well as this, sorry this chapter took so long to come out. I've recently developed a hobby of beefing with ten-year-olds on Roblox and it's taking up a lot of my time. Hopefully the long length makes up for it? The next one is shorter (I have only two scenes planned instead of this one's four) so it should come out a tad quicker.
> 
> This chapter is a total of 4,383 words, bringing the total of the book to over 10,000 words in just over three chapters :)


	4. Chapter 4

Techno realised halfway throughout the town event that he had probably been exaggerating about this being the worst day of his life. 

Whilst he wouldn't ever dream of admitting it out loud, there had been some enjoyable moments. Tommy's friends were surprisingly pretty good people and striking up a conversation with them wasn't hard, the music playing on loud speakers wasn't bad enough to give him the urge to run off a cliff, and some of the booths actually had some pretty fun games. 

Techno's favourite was definitely whack-a-mole, but the dunking booth was a close second. The man unfortunate enough to be dunked was a rather annoying fellow, and Techno felt no guilt or sorrow about making him suffer. The high-pitched, pitiful shriek he released whenever his body met the water was overwhelmingly satisfying, and didn't fail to leave a fiendish smirk on Techno's face. 

However, it was nearing the end of the day already. The old, rustic clock standing in the centre of the event was pointing quite stubbornly at half past seven, although Techno had no clue whether it was behind or forward. He didn't have a watch, and was too embarrassed to ask anyone what the time was. The sun had begun to set, so that was probably an indicator that it was roughly correct. The blinding and arguably annoying lights and lanterns had also been made brighter, and the people behind the event kept on changing the colours of them as a stupid practical joke to one another. 

Regardless of the time, most of the booths had closed already, the teenagers handling them having ran off back home. There were still a good few people left - probably a hundred or so - but it was only a fraction of the crowd beforehand. 

Most of the people, Techno included, had swarmed towards the town centre in the past twenty minutes. 

Unprofessional posters stapled onto booths, stalls, and benches alluded that there would be some form of entertainment in the form of a 'mystery musician.' The supposed 'mystery musician' was apparently going to be playing a few songs for them on a rickety stage that looked like it was going to collapse at any moments notice. It was a job well done when you considered that it was done by a bunch of teenagers, but that didn't make Techno feel any less like he was going to be witnessing an accident. 

Techno had heard from the organisers (that actually happened to be Wilbur's friends and Wilbur himself, despite the idiot lying about it) that they were certain the crowd was going to love the performance. They sounded strangely confident in their judgement, so much so that he was actually thinking it might not be as disastrous as he originally thought. 

Rows of multi coloured, tacky chairs had been lined up messily, the majority of people sitting in the first few rows. Techno couldn't be bothered to count, but at a glance, there looked to be fourteen or so. 

Tommy, Deo, Bitzel, and Wisp had chosen to sit in the deserted second to last row, and Techno was sitting behind them. He didn't doubt that it was because they wanted to continue their scheming, bizarre conversations without being told to shut the hell up by a grown up. 

Listening to their incessant rambles and chatter had been nothing but an annoyance at first, but had he quickly grown amused by it. It seemed as though Tommy's friends found him just as insufferable as Techno did, and they jokingly teased him quite regularly. 

"Who do you think the musician is going to be?" Tommy asked his friends, licking the strawberry ice-cream that he had bought himself a few minutes ago. 

"It'll probably be just some random indie guy desperate for a gig," Deo said, shrugging and leaning back into his chair, "I can't imagine that we're gonna be getting anyone good." 

Wisp snorted. "Obviously. It's a shitty town event. I wouldn't be surprised if they're tone deaf, seven, or both."

Tommy didn't seem entirely pleased with the answer, but took it nonetheless, continuing to lick his ice-cream. "If you say so." 

One of the organisers of the event - Techno wasn't too familiar with him, but he was pretty sure Tommy had referred to him as Carson - then decided to interrupt the mindless jabber of the crowd with the crackling of his microphone. He looked tired, with bags under his eyes and windswept, unkempt hair. 

"Er— er, hello? Can everyone here hear me well?" he asked, poking his microphone awkwardly. 

Dozens of people all confirmed that they could hear him at the same time, with multiple folk groaning at the loud beeping noises coming from the mic. Carson held his arms up in apology, chuckling nervously in an attempt to ease the tension. 

"Oh, okay, alright. Well, first of all, thank you all for attending. Me and my friends have been organising this event for a while now, and we're extremely happy with the turnout," Carson thanked, a slim smile on his face. 

Techno was dying to scream out a sarcastic comment mocking him but restrained himself, instead settling for an unsettling glare. It wasn't much, but it was all he could do to make himself feel better about the situation. 

"Fortunately, it's not over just yet. You may have noticed that we've been hinting towards a mystery musician, and it’s finally time for them to perform. They're elated to be here, and I think you'll be elated to hear them." 

Carson then walked off the stage, giving a high five to the passing performer that had just emerged from behind the curtains. The performer was dragging an ugly little stool along with him, and an expensive looking guitar was slung over his shoulder. 

Techno did a double take when he saw the person's face.

The boy on the stage wasn't unfamiliar at all. He had his signature beanie, a yellow jumper, bouncy brown hair that was flopping into his eyes, and had a look of repressed terror on his face. 

"Is that Wilbur?" Tommy asked, squinting furiously at the stage in disbelief. He swung around to look at Techno, widening his eyes. "Look, Techno, it's Wilbur! Wilbur's performing!"

Techno nodded, shifting uncomfortably at the sudden attention. "He sure is, nerd."

Tommy seemed happy with the response and turned back around to converse with his friends, presumably bragging. Techno heard him remark that this was the only time in his life he had been happy to be related to Wilbur. 

Wilbur made himself comfortable on his stool, staring at the crowd nervously. He gulped, bringing the designated microphone stand closer to himself. 

"So," Wilbur said, "I'm Wilbur Soot. High school junior, aspiring musician, and really glad to be here. This is actually my first gig, so I apologise in advance if I freeze up." 

The crowd remained silent. 

"Erm... tonight, I'll be singing a few original songs I'm particularly fond of. The first one, one I think you'll all greatly enjoy, is called Saline Solution."

Noticing that the audience hadn't said anything, Tommy let out a brief holler in support. When they linked eyes with one another, Tommy gave his older brother an encouraging look. 

Wilbur seemed to appreciate it. He cleared his throat and gulped again, closing his eyes and letting out a deep breath. 

He started to sing. 

His voice was a little wobbly at first - probably from nerves - but he slowly gained confidence throughout the performance. Wilbur was a tad pitchy, and his accent sometimes sounded strange as he pronounced certain words, but it was still much better than what Techno had anticipated. 

The crowd seemed to be warming up to him too. The previous conversations had all quietened down or stopped completely, and most of the people were giving Wilbur their undivided attention. Between the songs, he had gotten an applause that didn't sound forced, and very few people had left their seats. All things considered, it was an incredible reaction. 

"He's great, isn't he?" Tommy said, leaning his head back to look at Techno upside down. "He sings for us sometimes when we're home alone and bored, but he's never done anything in public before."

"He's alright," Techno said, not wanting to compliment a person that had slammed a door in his face. 

"Just alright?" Tommy asked, wiggling an eyebrow. 

Techno simply stared at Tommy for a moment, hoping that his glare would be enough to fend the younger boy off. Tommy didn't seem deterred, instead wiggling both his eyebrows in defiance. 

"He's better than average," Techno eventually relented, groaning miserably. "There, are you happy?" 

Tommy smirked, leaning forwards again. "Quite." 

They continued to watch Wilbur for about three minutes or so without distraction. He finished his second song quickly, then moved onto a more jokey one that Techno didn't hate, and then he started to sing another one of the more serious ones. The crowd was slowly getting more involved as time went on. 

However, Techno couldn't concentrate. Halfway through the performance, he got a feeling in the depth of his gut. It started out subtle and barely noticeable, but only festered and disturbed him more with time. 

He tried his best to focus on the performance. Tried his best to remain composed, and tried his best to keep his concentration, but there was a nagging feeling at the back of his mind. He couldn't quite pinpoint why, but he knew without a shadow of a doubt that something wasn't right. 

There was something wrong, and he had the unquenchable yearning to fix it. 

He took one last glance at Wilbur singing his odd melody, and a fleeting peep at Tommy, who seemed like he wouldn't be disturbed by a goddamn landslide. Both brothers seemed preoccupied enough that they wouldn't notice his disappearance. Perfect. 

Curling his fingers up tight into a fist, Techno slipped out of his chair. He shuffled backwards slowly at first, making sure that his absence wasn't noticed. When he was sure that no one had seen him, he sped up, hiding behind one of the folded up and abandoned booths. 

Techno didn't know why or how, but he knew exactly where he was going.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this chapter is only one scene and quite short. It was originally going to be three scenes long, but I felt like it was more meaningful and better in general with this scene only.
> 
> Oh, and also, thank you for 1k hits! I really do appreciate it! I started writing this fic just to entertain & make people happy, and I'm pretty sure I've achieved that already!


	5. May 2nd

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> he sees magic uwuwu

There was a portal in front of him. 

He had been venturing into the woods that surrounded the town centre. Not courageous - or stupid, depending on how you looked at - enough to dare journey into the heart of it, but dumb enough that he had skirted around the edges. The witheringly scornful voice in the back of his mind had critiqued his actions severely, but nothing at all seemed to dissuade him from finding what he needed to find and following his course of action. The unmistakable yearning had only grown stronger and fiercer with his every step, and somehow he had ended up stumbling upon something rather peculiar. 

In a little ditch, surrounded by hills and enclosed by a layer of thick brambles, branches, and trees, there was a portal. 

A glowing, magical portal enveloped by curtains of thick, prickly plants. Dead leaves littered the floor. The purple swirls of the portal entranced him like a hypnotic spiral. He wasn't asleep - he had tried pinching himself multiple times already - and he was pretty certain that he wasn't mentally insane either. 

But still. Somehow, for some baffling and bewildering reason, there was a portal in front of him. 

Techno hesitantly stepped closer to the mystifying entity, being careful not to tread too harshly on the muddy floor. There was no one around, but he did not wish to make a noise and destroy the quiet atmosphere. 

He would never dare risk his dignity and admit it, but the enclosed woodland area intimidated him. Without the little pockets and clues of civilisation, he felt alone. The redwood forest made for a soothing stroll when accompanied by the reassuring presence of sunlight, but at night it was suffocating. Shadows turned into dancing beasts aching to hunt him down, and the softest of sounds became vicious, sadistic predators closing in on their prey. The blades of grass swaying side to side morphed into small but fierce enemies, and the rough force of the wind became a conspiring, devilish villain. 

The closer he walked, the more apparent it became that the portal was attempting to draw him in. A bewitching and captivating melody began to drum in his ears. Quiet and subtle, it begged him to come closer. Barely above a hushed murmur, it sounded like a deceiving, manipulative siren. 

Techno wished he could say it wasn't working.

His hand seemed to have a mind of its own. It reached forwards, fingers stretched out so much that the tension was painful. But he couldn't stop himself. He needed to figure out what was on the other side. He couldn't just turn away. No, not anymore. It was too late for that. Much too late. 

Techno's fingertips touched the surface of the portal. It was a strange sensation, far from what he had anticipated. The portal reacted like a body of water would - rippling out in soft waves - but his hand didn't feel wet at all. He didn't necessarily feel cold or numb, just... wrong. Different. 

Just as he was about to put the rest of his hand in, the portal began to warp. The faint ripples became more violent, the waves going on a subtle rampage. Two little holes in particular started to grow, the swirls only getting deeper and deeper and deeper.

Techno pulled his hand away, nestling it back into the crevice of his chest. He stepped backwards, content to observe the portal from a distance. 

He watched wide-eyed as the edges of two small objects appeared at the end of the spiral. Ducking down to get a better look, he saw the portal begin to push out two things. It spewed out the two things fully after a second or two - the portal sending out a bizarre, screeching noise - and Techno looked to see what they were. 

A ripped piece of red silk, and a dazzling, blue diamond. 

He squatted down to observe them. Techno poked at the diamond tentatively, widening his eyes at the feel of it. He had been expecting a plastic-like texture, but the jewel on the floor both looked and felt ridiculously realistic. Either he was holding a genuine diamond, or the maker was extremely good at faking it. 

He then turned his attention to the fabric, running it between his fingers and examining it closely. Silk was undoubtedly easy to fake, and he was by no means an expert, but it seemed real enough. 

The objects might not have been too weird if he had simply stumbled upon them out of the blue, but paired with whatever the hell the purple thing was, he knew that they didn't belong to some affluent, aristocratic nomad. Something strange was going on. Something that extended beyond everything he had ever been taught. Maybe he was just being a paranoid loser, or maybe—

"Techno?" 

Spinning around instantaneously, Techno stood himself up and frantically looked around for the source of the noise. His heart started to thump like a crashing gong in his chest, and sweat pooled in the palms of his hands; who had found him? What would they do if they saw the portal? 

He didn't know why, but the thought of someone else finding it and joining him in his confusion wasn't comforting. It terrified him. Sent fear throughout his body. He reached down to stuff both objects in his pocket, zipping it up to keep them safe. 

"Hey, Techno? You around here?" 

Taking a deep breathe, Techno tried to calm himself and remedy his vision. It worked, but the effects were gradual. His eyes settled on a figure in the distance beyond the veil of plants, the bucket hat in the outline of the stranger giving away his identity. Phil.

The thumping got louder. 

He couldn't let Phil see the portal. He couldn't. The thought was horrific. He could not let him see it. 

But how could he stop him? 

Rotating his head between the portal and the outline, Techno hastily made a run for it, barrelling towards a smallish hill to the left of the portal. It was a long shot, but if he managed to get out of the ditch in time, maybe he could catch Phil's attention before he stumbled across the portal. It probably wasn't going to work, but it was the only chance he had to direct the other's attention away. It was worth a try. 

He darted up the pathetic looking hill, cursing himself for opting to skip physical education and choosing to sit on the bleachers. His stamina definitely wasn't the best, and it was a challenge, but he managed it nonetheless.

Once he reached the top, he lazily pulled the branches away, revealing the rest of the forest. It was much darker than he had anticipated. Much colder too. 

Not wanting to waste any time, Techno despairingly scanned the area. His eyes were flickering around at a speed he didn't previously know he possessed, and his heart was now thumping at the speed of a cheetah that had taken one too many energy drinks.

Eventually, his eyes locked onto the green man. He wasn't too far away, maybe a fifty second run if he was lucky and strained himself, but Phil was nearing the ditch already.

Sprinting into action right away, Techno raced like he had never ran before. His legs became cogs in a well-oiled machine, and his brain was edging him to go quicker and quicker and quicker. There was an indescribable weight burrowed stubbornly in the depths of his chest that was going to explode if he didn't make it in time. 

Techno stopped when he was about a ten second run away, ready to collapse. 

"Phil!" he sputtered, out of breath. He waved his hands around in the air before letting his hands fall onto his knees in a desperate attempt to calm himself. "I'm over here!"

Phil seemed to hear him, pausing just before he batted away the branch hiding the portal. He turned around, latching onto eye contact with Techno immediately. "Techno?" 

Techno walked closer, still panting vigorously. His heart was slowing down now, his mind beginning to form coherent sentences again. "Yeah, it's me." 

"Oh, thank god," Phil said, "I've been looking for you for around ten minutes now."

Techno offered a perplexed expression, eyebrows knitted in confusion. "Why? I thought I had another half hour." 

Phil blushed, turning his head to the side in shame. "Tommy may or may not have gotten into a fight, and the organisers may or may not have kicked us out." 

Techno snorted, anxiety fuelled thoughts drifting away momentarily. His expectations hadn't exactly been sky high, but this was a whole new level of disappointing. A physical fight? Really? "You're not kidding? With whom?"

"Just some random dude, apparently. Or, at least, that's what Wilbur said. One moment he was innocently strumming along to his song and having the time of his life, and the next, his little brother was flying around like a ninja that failed gymnastics class." 

"You're saying that he just randomly went psycho on some poor dude?" Techno probed, voice still Iight with hints of humour, "he doesn't have a reason?"

Techno felt slightly bad that he was more amused about the situation than concerned, but honestly, he thought it was justified enough. The image of Tommy flying about and deciding to go haywire on a random bloke must have been undeniably funny to even the sternest souls. 

Phil shrugged. "I mean, maybe he does. I didn't get the chance to ask because I had to come find you. They were rather... adamant... about us leaving, and we needed to get Tommy patched up at home; I didn't have any time to spare." 

"Oh, sorry about that," Techno said, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. 

"No, don't worry about it," Phil reassured him. "We just need to get going now."

Before Techno could state his agreement or even think up a snappy reply, the older span around, hand reaching to bat away the branch that was shielding the portal.

Techno, in a burst of impulsive courage, smacked Phil's arm away. He stepped in front of the branch, crossing his arms stubbornly. 

"Not that way."

"Why?"

Techno's face went red, his head swivelling back to stare at the plants. "Erm, no reason. Just don't want to go that way. Bad energy." 

"The route is almost a whole five minutes shorter," Phil said, stepping closer. "We're going this way, bad energy or not."

Techno's mind released an animalistic, high-pitched shriek as he blocked Phil's way. Even a step closer and the older would probably be able to see the purple glow. He had to come up with an excuse, and he had to come up with one now. "Wait! There are... there are... termites! Lots and lots of vicious termites!"

"Termites?" 

"Yeah, termites. And lots of them."

Phil raised an eyebrow. "You got a phobia of termites or something? Because I don't personally think termites are that big of a deal, if I'm being honest." 

"Maybe!" Techno stammered, voice the most pleading it had ever been. "Maybe I do."

God, he must sound like a loser, he thought. Termites? He wanted to be an English Major, and yet he couldn't even fabricate a half-decent fake story? What kind of moron was scared of termites, and where had the skills he had accumulated from writing his Minecraft fanfiction ran off too? 

"— someone with that before." 

Techno turned his head. "Huh? I zoned out." 

Phil offered a smile. "I said that it's an odd phobia, but if you're really that scared, we can go the other way."

"Thanks," Techno said, expressing his gratitude with a slim smile.

Stopping next to the younger - obviously slightly concerned, with a frown tugging at his lips - Phil attempted to place a comforting hand on Techno's shoulder. "Are you doing okay? You sound off. Jumpy." 

"It's just the termites," he explained, fake shuddering and lying through gritted teeth. "They make me feel sick. They're all... creepy, you know? Small and weird. Too many legs. Don't wanna talk about them." 

Sighing, Phil held his hand up in a vague apology. "Sure, I won't ask you to discuss the termites anymore. But can I please ask why you came out here in the first place?"

Techno seemed to contemplate the thought for a moment. "No." 

"No? Come on, mate. I'm trying my best here, but you're making it quite hard." 

Techno winced at the look on Phil's face. It was obvious that he was just trying to be friendly, but that didn't mean he had to reciprocate it. 

"Ever thought that maybe I don't want you to try?" he snapped spontaneously.

Phil's face immediately crumpled. His once level-headed but considerate manner faltered, frown deepening further. He averted his gaze. 

Techno took one look at Phil but then turned away. Desperately trying to ignore the expression, Techno trudged forwards, shoving himself past his foster brother. He already felt bad, but there was no turning back now. 

Phil sighed, sounding defeated. 

Techno's heart clenched at the noise, his insides urging him to apologise, but he ignored them. He had been on his own for his whole life. There was no need for a family now, he reasoned with himself. There was absolutely no point in one. He owed no one any kindness. 

"Come on, then," Phil said. "We best be off."

As the grumpy Techno - still joined by his equally grumpy companion - stalked off into the distance, out of the woods, and towards the car, he wasn't there to bear witness to a change in the portal. 

Not only did it contort, fizzling out in waves and being joined by the dizzying shrill of a kettle, but it was engulfed by gusts of forceful, dynamic wind. The wind circled around it, twirling in zestful spirals. Enigmatic phenomenons of nature relentlessly occurred, each one more surprising and outlandish than the last. At least, that was until it did something so freakish, so unbelievably bizarre - perhaps more so than it's very existence - that the action outmatched all of the predecessors. 

It vanished.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the slow updates! It's not me being a lazy sod, I'm just really ill at the minute (in a lot of pain) and it's making it quite hard to write. I'm having a procedure on Wednesday though, so hopefully they'll figure out what's wrong with me and give me medication so I can update quicker lol


	6. May 5th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> if you are a tommy stan, you will not enjoy this chapter. sorry.

Until three days ago, Techno hadn't thought it possible to consume so much media in such a short time. 

Thanks to his ADHD, his attention span had always been short. Life consisted of him promising himself, time after time, that he would dedicate a portion of his time to researching a specific topic, or telling himself that he would actually commit to a certain task this go around. Unfortunately, for the most part, his promises were hollow. There was usually some shitty excuse behind his shitty decisions, and they were irrefutably fun to come up with, but their existence as a whole was solely sprouted from a silly attempt to console himself. 

'I watched a whole season of a new anime today, and I deserve a break,' was his personal favourite excuse by a landslide, but 'I just got a one hundred winstreak in bedwars, and I should let myself watch a new anime as a treat,' was unequivocally a close second. Was that because they both included anime? Perhaps. Did that make them any less valid? Well, granted, anime wasn't necessarily a superb reason to skip things, but he found them to be valid enough. 

However, regardless of anything else, once he had finally gotten back three nights ago after his dangerous encounter with the supernatural (or whatever the hell you would classify it as), something within him had changed. Snapped, if you will.

It was as though a broken light bulb had been sitting patiently in his brain the entire time, and it had just been replaced with the newest model. Suddenly, he found a spark of enthusiasm within himself that he had never seen before. It began small but eager, edging him to indulge in more books and research possible explanations for the seemingly unexplainable. But, as time went on, it pestered him relentlessly, reaching to much further extremes. Harassed him in his dreams, bothered him whenever he closed his eyes and trailed after him like a lost puppy would its mother. It convinced him to spend nearly twenty whole hours at the library in just three or so days, and it morphed his search history entirely. It had been so bad that even Wilbur - who he still very much disliked, by the way - had gotten pretty concerned and popped in for a quick chat. The conversation had been snappy and awkward seeming as they hardly knew each other, ending in Wilbur seemingly accepting Techno's antisocial nature and leaving him be. That had been a day ago, and he hadn't seen a human being since.

Thus, the state of his room had deteriorated. Severely.

Books of all sorts - namely 'The Truth: Are You Mentally Insane, Or a Wizard?' by some bloody lunatic - were strewn messily on his pale sheets, the sheets desperately in need of a good ironing from all the crinkles Techno had made from staying up late. His clothes were sitting in piles on the floor, and pieces of rubbish and wrappers were hidden under his bed, desk, and chest of drawers. Scrunched up bits of paper - all having various scribbled possibilities as to what the fuck had happened written down on them - were filling up his ugly, little bin, and even more were miserably laying around it from where he had failed to chuck them in. His laptop, however, was probably the most affected. His browser had over fifty tabs open. Most were articles about people venting their experiences with the supernatural, but some were books in which characters faced similar experiences to his own. A couple were quizzes - the most notable being 'How To Tell If You're Going Crazy: A Helpful Guide' - but they were the ones he mainly skimmed over whilst swallowing the lump in his throat.

Unfortunately, despite his efforts, he hadn't found anything even remotely helpful.

Everything was either far too scandalous or cliché that the chances of it being real varied from slim to none, or it sounded real enough, but diverged completely from what he had seen. Arguably, that was probably because the people writing the latter were simply good at faking things, although he supposed there was no way to truly know.

Nevertheless, the situation was extremely frustrating. There was no way to win. If he told someone else about his predicament, he would be ridiculed, but if he kept it to himself and bottled all of his emotions up, he was bound to one day explode and start spouting out swear words like the Lord Jesus Christ had turned a blind eye. Like a few litres of steaming water, he needed his lid to be lifted so he could finally relax. But lifting the lid meant being vulnerable, and exposing himself to vulnerability had never been fun or easy in the slightest. In either scenario, he was screwed — a goner.

It made seeing the ripped piece of silk and the diamond feel like a brutal punch in the chest.

Sure, they didn't have facial expressions. But if they did, he would have sworn that the objects would have been smug little shits. They were just staring at him, looking so pleased with themselves. He couldn't explain it - probably because it made no sense when you said it out loud - but the little things were perhaps the most annoying things he had ever come by. 

Techno sighed, letting his head plummet down onto his desk. He couldn't keep living like this. Goodness knows he should have gone outside days ago. He shouldn't have closed his curtains, he shouldn't have ignored everyone that attempted to have a conversation with him, and he shouldn't have let himself fall back into bad habits.

Taking one last look at his filth covered room, Techno stood from his desk chair, tugged a red hoodie on half-heartedly, and headed out the door, kicking it closed with the flick of his heel. 

He needed to clear his thoughts.

-

After rudely storming out of the house, Techno ended up walking around the streets for a couple of minutes. He hadn't really had a particular destination in mind; his feet had chosen where to go, dragging him along like the tide would a misguided swimmer. His head had been hung low, and he had been listening to frame of mind on repeat through his horribly glitchy earphones. 

Subsequently, he ended up stumbling across a park. It was desolate and barren, shrouded away by a thin layer of shrubbery and a discoloured, old fence. Though small in size, the swing worked splendidly, and it made for a good way to pass the time. He was given a small heart attack every time the piece of playground equipment made a rusty grunt, but the feeling would subside after a couple of seconds. 

And now, here he was. Staring mindlessly at the ugly, rotted pavement as he conversed on the phone with a friend, pouring his heart out as he vented his frustrations. 

Skeppy had been a friend of his for a year or two. Their friendship started quite weirdly: Techno had been up late, effortlessly bullying some orphans on a bedwars game, when he got a message from some homeless guy called Skeppy. The message was hard to decipher due to the many spelling mistakes - really, he was surprised to hear the other was a native speaker - but it had undoubtably been meant to mock him. So, he invited the boy to his party and put them in a 1v1. It hadn't gone brilliantly for Skeppy, and after Techno had beat his sorry ass so many times that it was embarrassing, Skeppy had apologised. They exchanged discord info, and the rest was history. 

However, despite their closeness, the other still hadn't sounded ridiculously pleased when he picked up the call. His voice had been a tad slurred, and he didn't sound like an overexcited eight-year-old on a sugar rush, which was a drastic change; Techno had accidentally woken him up. Well, it hadn't been an accident, but he had pretended otherwise. He had apologised briefly, but mainly ignored the problem altogether and started to rant about his recent family shenanigans. 

"I'm telling you, they're awful!" he insisted profusely, tightening his grip on the swing chains in anger. 

"Even more awful than the last one? Really? I didn't think you could beat a demonic six-year-old."

Techno offered an exaggerated nod. "Neither did I! But, surprise surprise, my already staggeringly low expectations are always proven to be far too high. Tommy is plain annoying, Wilbur is conceited, and Phil is... irritatingly nice! I've disliked them all since the first meeting."

Truth be told, Techno hadn't really disliked them all since the first time they met. Sure, Phil had sent shivers running up his spine and sent him tumbling onto the musty floor, and Wilbur had slammed a goddamn door in his face, and Tommy had... been himself, but his usually final opinion hadn't been set on them until a day later. No matter how bad the first impressions had been, he had wanted to give them a chance. And by god did he regret that choice.

"They can't be that bad," Skeppy argued on the other side of the phone, his voice coming out a slightly crackled mess. "You're probably exaggerating."

Techno rolled his eyes, glaring briefly at the phone laying on the swing next to him. He adjusted the little knob on the side of his earphones, frown disappearing when the weird noise went away. "I wish I could say I agreed, but they just... I don't know what it is about them, Skeppy. Everything about them, everything they do, it's irritating!"

"From the sounds of things, Techno, they just want to welcome you. They sound like nice people. Or at least, y'know, average? Checking in on you isn't them being annoying assholes, it's just them attempting to be accommodating."

"Oo, when did you learn all those fancy words?" Techno inquired. "Your IQ sounds like it's gotten twenty higher since the last time we spoke."

"I can just hang up, you know."

"You're acting like me being blessed by the lack of you and your presence would be a bad thing, but I'll ignore that," Techno said, wanting to manoeuvre the conversation back on track. He sighed. "I just want them to stop being so disgustingly nice all the time. It's nauseating."

"Why?"

"Why? What do you mean why? Isn't me being revolted by their kind sentiments and cheesy gestures a good enough reason?"

Skeppy gave a muffled hum of consensus, his voice slowly getting quieter and softer. He obviously hadn't heard Techno at all.

"Hey!" Techno growled, pointing an accusing finger at the device and forgetting the other couldn't see him for a moment. "You better not be falling asleep again!"

Skeppy groaned miserably, and the sound of his crumpled up duvet echoed over. "Listen, idiot, it's not my fault. I was asleep not ten minutes ago."

"Yeah, and it's also not my fault your sleep schedule is impossibly worse than mine, is it? Your timezone is three hours ahead of me, yet I somehow woke up two hours earlier."

"Shut up! At least I have the rest of my life together! Yours is equally bad in every area!"

"You're getting better at insults, nerd," Techno acknowledged, sounding somewhat impressed. "I'll give you that one. Point taken."

"Uh huh. Now go back to insulting them, I was intrigued." 

"I hardly think dozing off equates to you being intrigued, but sure, I'll humour your delusions. I think it's mainly the youngest - his name is Tommy - that annoys me. Probably the worst of the lot. It's like... you know how in shows there's always this really exaggerated character? All the fans would either die for him, or they want him to plain stop existing. That's Tommy, except it's just the latter." 

"That's... harsh. He's just a kid." 

"Hardly harsh when his voice is like nails on a chalkboard yet it drills into your head. It's been two hours yet I can still hear every word perfectly."

"I thought you said you hadn't spoken to anyone in a day?" 

"I haven't," Techno said. "That wasn't a lie. But he's come knocking on the door over ten times. Thankfully he leaves me alone when I don't answer, but he doesn't ever seem to stop. From a third party perspective, it's somewhat admirable." 

"Reminds me of Rocco," Skeppy said, laughing softly. 

Techno chuckled. "Yeah, but the difference is that you don't hate Rocco with a fiery passion."

"You hate him? Like, despise everything about him kind of hate? I thought it was just a very strong dislike."

Techno shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, dude. Maybe it was just a strong dislike in the beginning, but I'm pretty sure it's evolved into hating territory now. I can't stand him."

"You... you hate me?" a small voice asked, followed by a quiet sniffle. 

Techno froze, eyes widening like a deer caught in headlights. He spun the swing around on the heel of his foot, dreading what he was about to see. 

Behind him was a distraught, dejected version of the boy he had been living with for the past four days. His t-shirt hanging loosely on his figure, and the look in his eye made him look impossibly small, and his gaze was one of pure hopelessness. Tommy. Shit. 

"How... how long have you been standing there?" Techno asked hesitantly, scared of the answer.

"Long enough."

Before either of them could utter another word, Tommy had turned around and began scurrying in the opposite direction. He headed towards a broken part of the gate and hopped over it with ease, beginning to barrel down the street. Techno watched the whole situation unravel, his breathing quickening with every passing second.

"Techno? Are you alright?" 

"Uh - Skeppy, I - I have to go. Sorry for waking you up," he said hurriedly, stuttering multiple times because of the panic.

Techno didn't wait for a reply, instead hanging up and immediately and shoving his phone into the depths of his pocket. He snatched the earphones out of his ears and shoved them in his pockets too, his feet tapping in a repeated motion as he tried to calm himself. 

He zipped his pocket up lazily and stormed out of his seat, sending the swing flying up into the sky. He mustered all the energy he had, sending himself into a powerful sprint and charging towards the gate. 

The road thankfully wasn't busy, and it wasn't hard to spot Tommy. The younger boy was going incredibly quickly, crossing the road with a clear disregard for his safety. Techno chased after him, slowing himself down as he checked for traffic. They rounded a corner, both shoving past multiple, unfortunate souls as they ran.

Techno continued to chase after Tommy for the next minute or two. He could feel himself losing energy, yet he was still nowhere close to catching him. No matter what he did, he was always ten steps behind. When he realised that he wasn't going to be catching up any time soon, Techno gave a desperate plea. 

"Tommy, hold on!" Techno said, reaching out a hand. "I... I can explain!"

Tommy stopped. The look on his face was hard to decipher: a strange mix of fierce, unforgiving rage, and hints of a sinking sadness. His teeth were bared in a ferocious snarl, and Techno could practically feel the heat evaporating off of him. Even his feral glare was slightly melancholic, the crestfallen twinkle in his eye probably obvious to a stranger. 

"Explain what exactly?" Tommy asked, flying his arms around furiously. "Because I think you've made your feelings about abundantly clear!" 

"I didn't mean any of it!"

Tommy rolled his eyes. "You didn't? You just lied to your friend repeatedly then? What, was it some other Tommy or something? Is that your terrible cover story?" 

Techno grimaced. There was no real way to get out of this situation, he may as well tell the truth. "Tommy... can you really blame me? You follow me everywhere, you never leave me alone, you always, without fail, try to speak to me. It's exhausting."

Techno didn't know what he had been expecting, but it certainly wasn't what he got. Tommy looked absolutely furious, and he reached over to shove Techno in the shoulder in a flurry of pure anger. Techno narrowly dodged it, and Tommy clenched his fists so hard that his skin turned pink. The younger stood there, chest heaving dramatically.

"Because I was trying to be your friend, idiot!" Tommy yelled, voice pausing multiple times as he fought back tears. "Are you really so far up your ass that you couldn't see that? Wilbur ignored you, and Phil wasn't that bothered, but I was trying my very hardest to make you comfortable! To make you want to stay! I tried to ignore how rude you were being, I tried to give you the benefit of the doubt like Mum and Dad said! But I'm sick of you! I'm sick of you gossiping about me to your shitty friends, and I'm sick of you pretending that we're the ones at fault!"

"Tommy—"

"Shut up!" he said, voice wobbling. "Spare yourself the embarrassment and just shut up! You're not my brother, and you never will be!"

Techno watched as Tommy raced down the street, his legs as fast as the fastest cheetah. Tears were running down his cheeks, and he was rudely shoving past the few people alongside him on the pavement. 

A part of Techno wanted to continue to chase the other and offer his apologies, but the other half - the stronger half - was urging him to turn in the opposite direction. Things would be much better if the younger got over his admiration for Techno and began to hate him just as much as Wilbur did. He wouldn't have to face the awkward conversations, the constant company, or the prying questions. He would be given back his sense of normalcy. 

Tommy disappeared around the corner and Techno sighed, turning around and tucking his hands in his pockets. This wasn't an achievement. Not really. 

He had messed up big time.


	8. May 6th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tommy middle school graduation innit

Middle school. 

Techno equated those two words to hell. He equated them to eating lunch alone in a heavily vandalised toilet cubicle, standing awkwardly in the corner as he desperately wished he could make himself invisible, always being the last one picked for sports teams, and somehow always being that one lonely nerd everyone disliked. To cut it short, Techno Blade's life from the ages of eleven to fourteen had been nothing short of horrific, and he definitely wasn't afraid to say as much. 

He flaunted his opinion on the matter proudly, wearing it like a dazzling badge of honour. In his eyes, the very fact that he had survived the three years was an accomplishment, and all his shy tendencies seemingly dissipated when the two words became the topic of discussion. He was never afraid to butt his way into conversations to shed light on his radical thoughts, and he fake shuddered every time someone mentioned it. 

When he had been told about Tommy's middle school graduation last night over dinner, he had adopted the insatiable urge to shove his head against a wall. Repeatedly. 

Not only did middle school bring back horrendous memories, but Tommy was still yet to get over their tiff from yesterday. In fact, he made a point to show his annoyance with the subject. Every time Techno entered a room, Tommy would stop for a moment to compose himself, and then he would give the older a rather weird, half-hearted, and lopsided scowl. If Techno tried to speak to him, Tommy would vacate the premises, and whenever his parents or Phil weren't around, he would go without acknowledging Techno's existence altogether. Although originally confused at the sudden u-turn that was their relationship, Wilbur quickly began to find it funny and joined his little brother in his antics. Techno had to admit that - whilst it was definitely annoying as hell - not having to speak to Wilbur was a bit of a blessing. He could probably say the same thing about Tommy, but the guilt pooling in his stomach spoke another story.

To keep it short, Techno was not looking forward to today. Not in the slightest. He said it about most days, but in all honesty, he could tell that this one was going to be particularly bad. 

Something was going to happen. Something bad. 

-

"Are we nearly there yet?" Tommy asked for the seventh time from the other side of the car, his head frantically turning as he watched the scenery roll past. It was hardly interesting, mainly just dull pretty white after dull pretty white house, but there was nothing better to do. Tommy was dressed up in a black suit that made him look noticeably older and richer, and his excitement was blatantly obvious. He had been blabbering on about how awesome today would be for hours. 

"Matter of fact, we're quite close," Meryl said, glancing back to both Tommy and Techno and then pointing at the smart system. "If you look at the sat-nav, we're only two minutes away." 

Techno let out an audible breath of relief; his suffering would end soon. 

Just like the rest of the family, Techno had been forced into a stuffy suit. His was blue - Meryl had remarked she bought it because she thought the colour would complement his eyes - and was perhaps the most expensive thing he had ever owned, being at least a couple hundred dollars. Only problem was that the fancy clothes weren't build to optimise comfort. He was incredibly itchy, the material scratching and irritating his skin, and the fact that he could barely move in the car only made that worse. His loafers were too small for his feet to the point where he was in a bit of pain, and his combed back hair was so ugly it was embarrassing. He felt like a clown.

"Thank god for that," Techno mumbled under his breath, shifting in his seat to try and reduce the uncomfortableness.

Having heard his comment, Tommy made sure to send a quick glare his way, sticking his tongue out childishly. Unamused, Techno hissed back at him.

Meryl appeared to have heard him too, making eye contact with him briefly through the car mirror. "Are you excited, Techno?" she inquired, voice as jolly as ever, tone soaring higher than a mountain range. She twirled a string of hair whilst asking the question.

Techno hummed an unsure, sarcastic response, steadying himself as they drove over a particularly large bump in the road. "I suppose you could say that. Definitely something of the sort." 

She hummed back, teeth shining gleefully. "I'm glad!" 

"Did you know that I'm excited too Mum?" Tommy asked, obviously not happy that Meryl was paying attention to Techno instead of him. He pushed himself to the edge of his seat, groaning when the seatbelt stopped him from going any closer. "It's going to be such a good day, aren't you proud of me?" 

Techno rolled his eyes. His middle school graduation had been much more casual and laid back in comparison to Tommy's posh one. His had consisted of a shit DJ, a couple of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches disguised as an 'all you can eat buffet', and a photo booth that broke after twenty minutes. He had snuck out two hours before it finished, and he didn't regret that decision. Doubted he ever would. 

Tommy was making this too big of a deal; graduating from hell was hardly a feat worthy of celebration.

Unfortunately, his Mother seemed to think otherwise. "Of course, darling! I'm thrilled for you, seeing you all grown up like that makes me extremely emotional! Such a big day for such a big boy!" 

Tommy's face transformed to one of disgust. "You know that I'm not six anymore, right Mum? I'm basically an adult, you don't have to talk to me like I'm a kid. You don't have to sound so condescending." 

Techno rolled his eyes for the second time. "Yeah, right," he whispered sarcastically, quiet enough that no one would hear, "because being fourteen makes you so grown up." 

She smiled back, almost tearing up but quickly composing herself, presumably because she didn't want to ruin her make-up. "I know, son, but you'll always be a baby in my eyes." 

Tommy fake gagged, mumbling something incoherent, probably a cool new word he had learnt a month ago and clung onto like a leech. He appeared displeased at the statement on the surface, but judging by the twinkle in his eye, he was more happy with it than he let on. 

Techno was about to comment on it, but Tommy brushed over the topic before he got the chance, his voice speedily whizzing on. "Anyway, how much longer?"

"Not long at all, kiddo. We're just pulling in now." 

The words sent dozens of thoughts running through Techno's head, and as Tommy let out a shriek of pure excitement, he sluggishly directed his head to the window. There had been a vague illustration of the school building on Tommy's graduation invite, and although he had no clue if it was exaggerated or not, the private school on the illustration had resembled a bloody castle. He was eager to find out how accurate it truly was. 

As Meryl parked their car in a free space and the car rolled to a halt, Techno flung his door wide open and jumped out, planting his feet firmly on the concrete. He slammed the door shut without looking back, and he gazed up in awe at Tommy's school.

The building was... posh looking, to say the least. Paint fresh, windows cleaned, bricks washed, a grand entrance, fluorescent flower arrangements lining the walls, and flower boxes on the couple hundred windows. The path leading up to it was lacking a spec of mud, and the people entering the structure wore garments more expensive than his parents old apartment.

As he looked at the gargantuan thing, all doubt in Techno's mind that the Williams family were anything but affluent snobs vanished, being replaced by a tinge of immature envy. It had been proven to him time and time again, but he didn't think he had really felt the full effects of it until now. 

"Fucking hell," he said, mouth agape as he strolled further into the road. 

"Impressed?" a familiar voice asked from behind him, humour neatly lacing their tone. "I felt the same way when I first saw it."

Techno nodded, pushing the childish, jealous thoughts to the back of his mind. Now was not the time to stir up some conflict. "I mean, I'm not surprised. It looks like a castle, Wilbur." 

Wilbur scoffed. "It may look cool, but it's boring as shit in there. There's nothing to do. I hope you've prepared for a couple of hours of boredom and suffering and kept your phone at full charge."

"My phone usually dies after thirty minutes of use," Techno said, turning to raise an eyebrow at the other. "I don't think I'll be using it." 

"Well, that sounds like a you problem, loser," Wilbur said, patting his shoulder twice and then walking towards the front of the building. He gestured for Techno to follow him. "Come on, might as well try and get good seats for the ceremony." 

Techno sped up, stopping once he came close to Wilbur. "Ceremony? This is a middle school graduation, isn't it? Not a goddamn wedding."

"Duh, but the graduation is referred to as the ceremony. The eighth graders write their speeches, and they all get to read them in front of the crowd. It's quite literally the most boring thing to watch in the world, especially because they all say the exact same thing."

"That sounds like a disaster for waiting to happen," Techno remarked.

"It is. Mine was anyway. You know my friend Schlatt? He thought it would be funny to cussing out this one girl called Judy in seventh grade, and it just so happened that she was present because of a cousin. Front row too. Poor girl started sobbing, and we had to take a twenty minute break because of it. He pretended that he felt guilty about it, but the look on his shitty face spoke another story."

"That hardly sounds boring," Techno disagreed. "I'd take a Judy crying over fifty identical speeches any day."

Wilbur punched him playfully in the shoulder. "Sadistic prick." 

Techno punched him back, but instead bore a dead serious expression, lips slanted neither up or down. "I don't like you." 

Wilbur scoffed again. He gave the other finger guns, winking childishly as he twirled around and raced up the steps to the school. "Hate you too!" he bellowed before he raced into the doors, causing a couple of heads nearby to turn and stare.

Techno's cheeks began to resemble a beetroot, and he embarked further into the school, head firmly pointed at the floor.

\- 

The school hall was large. Large, with ridiculously high ceilings, fancy stained glass windows, a stage so expensive looking that it resembled a theatre, and seats that became more elevated the further back you went. The criss-cross pattern on the wooden floor matched perfectly with the cerulean blue curtains and the elaborate murals lining the walls, and portraits of the staff were neatly dotted on the walls. 

It was a gorgeous room, but Techno couldn't help but feel out of place. Everything about it oozed wealth and money, and although he did look affluent appearance wise, he was anything but deep down. He wasn't used to the grandeur of the school, his old one being one of the most underfunded in the state, and everyone around him seemed much more used to their formal attire. More comfortable. Maybe it was just his anxiety talking, but he stuck out like a sore thumb. They knew how to act, how to remain composed, how to fit in— he didn't. He was an outsider looking in on a world that he didn't belong to. 

Techno sighed, edging his head into the firm, comforting grip of his hands. Who cared about what a bunch of posh wankers thought of him? He wouldn't be with the Williams family for long anyway, two of the kids already disliked him, and the third was more or less indifferent on the matter.

Speaking of the kids, Techno turned his head to look at the youngest member of the family.

The eighth graders were all lined up to the very right of the hall, clutching the pieces of paper with their speeches on close to their chests. Some looked excited, some looked daunted at the prospect of speaking in front of a couple hundred people, some looked like they were about to burst into tears, and some just looked like they wanted to go to sleep. The vast array of emotions was somewhat funny from an outside perspective, but Techno couldn't help but empathise with the more nervous looking kids. 

Tommy was near the front of the group, having been shoving past the other students and worming his way towards the front since they had arrived. A proud smile was present on his face, and he was chatting amongst a group of boys that Techno assumed to be his friends. He recognised one as a rather subdued Bitzel, but the others were unfamiliar. 

Techno was seated at the end of the second to last row row, with Phil to his right, followed by Wilbur, and then finally Mr and Mrs Williams a couple of seats over. In order to see the parents he would have to lean forward heavily, but he could see Wilbur busy scrolling on his phone from the corner of his eye, and Phil was bobbing his head alongside him and humming a small tune. Techno, on the other hand, just wanted to doze off or leave. He was itchy and bored.

There was a cough that caused the crowd to all quieten, and a member of staff rolled up to the stage. Faint wrinkles blanketed her abnormally large forehead, her black hair was obviously turning grey, and a pair of piss coloured glasses were resting on her face. In her hands was a list of names.

"Welcome everyone," she said in an extremely monotone voice. "I'm delighted to start this ceremony today, and I'm thrilled that you were all able to join us. I'm sure everyone can agree that our eighth graders are talented individuals, and parting ways with them has been a difficult process for everyone involved. As most of you know, it's a tradition that every one of the new high schoolers will get to read out a speech they have prepared, so I won't delay any further."

Her bony finger scanned the list. "Our first speech will be from... Ben Dover."

-

Around fifty of the eighth graders had read their speeches, and as Wilbur had predicted, they were all more or less exactly the same. The same sappy, thankful sentiments, and most even had a similar structure. Other than the janitor tripping over and spilling his drink on a particularly posh girl, absolutely nothing interesting had happened. If the chair had been more comfortable, and if his attire hadn't made him itch every two seconds, he would have dozed off long ago.

Letting out an exhausted sigh, Techno listened as the teacher called out the next kid.

"Next up is..." the woman started to announce, scrunching up her face as she analysed the parchment closely. She grasped onto the edges of it and slid her glasses up with her index finger, "... Thomas Williams. Next up is Thomas Williams." 

Brightening up at the name, Techno sat up in his chair, eyes glued to the younger boy.

Tommy strolled up to the stage immediately, bouncing up the stairs with a spring in his step and waving at the audience eagerly. A couple of people waved back, but most of them just ignored him and groaned at the immature behaviour, wishing he would hurry up so that their own kids could go. Mr and Williams, on the other hand, were cheering from their seats, being ten times louder than anyone else in the room. The sound of their applause was deafening, and the father didn't hesitate to whistle loudly. Techno winced from all the attention they were garnering, massaging his temples in a futile attempt to console himself.

Phil laughed at his clearly unimpressed expression. "Sorry to tell you this, mate, but they're always this fucking embarrassing. Doesn't get any better with time. They have an uncanny ability to never recognise how much unwanted attention they cause."

"Wonderful," Techno commented, offering Phil a side-eye. "Just what I wanted to hear."

Phil opened his mouth to respond but was cut short when Tommy tapped on the mic, drawing the attention of everyone in the crowd. Techno turned to look at the younger, locking eye contact with him for a fleeting moment, but it caused Tommy's face to slip momentarily and he broke it, once again regaining his boisterous exterior. 

"Hey there everyone," Tommy started, sounding a tad more nervous that Techno had anticipated and looking down at his flimsy piece of paper, "I'm Tommy. Those that know me well will know me as the supreme lover of women, also loved by all women, and as an incredibly cool guy in general. To those that don't know me, you may recognise me from the news. I'm the kid that nearly got arrested on the first day for bringing a spoon to school. Didn't really intend for that to be my legacy, but it seems to have become it, so I figured I may as well embrace it.

"But I'm a lot more than that. I'm hilarious, I have great jokes, and I'm liked by practically everyone in school. I have faith that nothing about that will change in high school, and I expect that even more women will come to see the irresistible charm of Mr Tommy Williams.

"I'm thankful for the people I've met in these three years, and I'm glad that many of my close friends will be accompanying me in the next chapter of my life. These years have gifted me memories that I will cherish for a lifetime, friendships that I sincerely hope will only grow stronger with time, and experiences that have shaped me into the person I am today. I know for a fact that it's not going to be a completely smooth transition, but I'm excited for whatever the world decides to throw at me. Whatever happens next, I'm ready."

The crowd broke into a slow applause as Tommy finished his speech, and Techno hesitantly joined after he had gotten over the extreme juxtaposition between the third paragraph and the rest of the speech. Tommy bowed, smile stretched wide.

"Wilbur wrote that last part for him early this morning so he wouldn't get laughed at," Phil said, sensing his confusion. 

Techno raised an eyebrow. "I didn't realise Wilbur was the poetic type." 

"He acts all tough, puts up a facade of an uncaring idiot, but he's softer than he looks," Phil told him. "He won't admit it to anyone, especially not to his friends, but I can promise you it's not a lie. Just kept well hidden. Just his little secret. He's just being a fucking angsty teenager at the moment."

Techno shrugged. "I mean, I don't have any choice but to agree. All I know for fact is that Tommy definitely did not write that last part." 

Phil offered a hearty laugh. "Good point." 

A couple of minutes later, indubitably after he had bragged to his friends backstage that his speech was the best, Tommy ascended the stairs, intending to join the family. Techno tried his best to pretend he wasn't there, turning his head completely to the left when Tommy shuffled past him and towards the seat his parents had reserved for him.

The second Tommy settled down in his chair, he began to blabber on about how proud of himself he was, and how awesome he thought he was. Techno was disgusted at the reaction it garnered; the parents actually sounded encouraging, Phil was nothing but sweet, and even Wilbur gave him a couple of compliments.

He stared at them for a minute, getting wrapped up in his disastrous, envious excuse of a brain, but then something changed. 

Something caught his eye. 

It caught him off guard, startling him and forcing him to rub the sleep out of his eyes so he could confirm that what he say wasn't an illusion. When he opened his eyes again and it was still there, he couldn't decide whether he was supposed to be horrified or joyous.

Purple light. 

If you squinted proper hard at the door to the left of the stage, you could see purple light sneaking out of the door and casting magenta shadows onto the floor. Fuckety fuck.

Under any other circumstance, it might not have been too significant. It could have been explained easily by some lighting malfunction, but he knew now that it wasn't a coincidence. It couldn't be; the chances were far too low. That unexplainable feeling was back too, only small and hardly noticeable, only visible when you actively sought it out.

Down those steps, there was a portal. There were answers, answers he had craved for days now. A chance to finally figure things out. An opportunity to get read of the obsessive thoughts swarming his mind. He needed an excuse to leave, and he needed one now. 

Always the uncreative type, Techno tapped Phil on the shoulder lightly, gulped, and said, "If anyone asks, I've gone to the toilet." 

He wasn't sure what kind of reaction he was expecting, but the older gave him a thumbs up and turned back to his conversation, uncaring. He wasn't bothered. He wasn't suspicious. Good.

Bracing himself by taking a couple of deep breaths, Techno stood from his chair. He flew down the flight of stairs, desperation for answers outweighing his common sense. He was barely keeping himself upright, gathering many weird glances and side-eyes from the posh folk in the audience. Normally it would have been upsetting, but now he didn't care. He didn't care at all.

Now standing at the slightly ajar door, Techno surveyed the audience one last time with narrowed eyes, and when he was finally content that no one was watching him, he slipped inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> apologies this chapter took so long, i was planning on releasing a SUPER long chapter (i was 6000 words into it) but instead decided i'd go with something shorter.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all liked my lesbian librarian caseworker oc lol, and the rest of my writing. Right now I'm focusing on creating complex characters that have visible flaws but can still be somewhat likeable, and I think I achieved that ?? I'm not sure because she comes across as a bit of a weirdo ?? I wasn't pleased with this chapter initially but I think it's growing on me.  
> Also sorry if Techno seems a little oc at the moment. I wanted to factor in the shitty childhood he probably had lol. He'll become more like himself (the orphan murdering him) later on in the book and when he's bantering around with the boys. Right now, I'm taking more creative liberty with his character.  
> 2,743 words


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